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BJP bags Jharkhand, neck-and-neck with PDP in Kashmir

by IBNS 23 Dec 2014, 11:00 am

Ranchi/Srinagar, Dec 23 (IBNS): India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is winning the assembly polls in Jharkhand and will form the government in the eastern state, while it is in a close contest with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir which apparently is headed for a hung assembly as counting of votes is underway in the two states that went to state polls recently.

 At around 10-30 am, in Jammu and Kashmir the BJP was leading in 23 seats of the total 87 seats, and PDP in 24 while the National Conference (NC) of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was trailing behind them at 18. The Congress was leading in 16.

In Jharkhand, the BJP at around 1030 am was leading in 40 seats in the 81-member assembly.  The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) of Chief Minister Heman Soren was leading in 20 while Congress was leading in 7.

Jammu and Kashmir, where people voted in large number despite the fear of terrorists, is seeing a quadrangular contest among the National Conference, PDP, BJP and Congress.

A day ahead of the Assembly Elections result declaration in Jammu and Kashmir, state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had ruled out any tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or its former ally Congress.

Abdullah on Monday out-rightly rejected entering in any coalition with the BJP and said the Hindutva party's Kashmir stand is not acceptable to his party.

"BJP was silent on Article 370 during elections. But that doesn't mean it has completely dissociated itself from the issue," Abdullah said while addressing a press conference in Srinagar's Banquet hall.

In the 2008 Assembly Election, the ruling NC of Omar Abdullah had emerged as the largest party winning 28 seats out of 87 Assembly seats.

PDP was second with 21 seats while the Congress got third spot winning 17 seats, BJP, however, could win only 11 seats.