Assembly polls: Intense politics after fractured statistics
All eyes are on J&K; it remains to be seen who will form the government in the state
New Delhi/Srinagar/Ranchi: All eyes are on J&K, and it remains to be seen who will form the government in the state. The PDP has shown the first positive signals towards the BJP when its leader, Mehbooba Mufti, mentioned Mr Modi’s name in her first press conference after the results when she said her focus would be to ensure “good governance” in the state.
If the PDP, with 28 seats, and the BJP, with 25, join hands, they will be well over the majority mark. However, if the Congress, with 12 seats, joins forces with the PDP, the combine will be very close to the halfway mark.
Interestingly, the BJP, which gained by winning 25 seats — all in the Jammu region, failed to make its presence felt in Ladakh or the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, where all but one of its candidates lost their deposits. In 2008, the BJP won only 11 seats in Jammu.
Jharkhand, meanwhile, that has seen nine governments and three stints of President’s Rule in 14 years, gave a decisive mandate this time on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development card.
The saffron party’s alliance partner, the AJSU, suffered a jolt as its chief and former deputy CM Sudesh Mahto lost from his home turf of Silli, which he represented for 15 years.