The elections results from Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir stuck to expected lines with the BJP-led alliance just managing to get absolute majority in Jharkhand while the northernmost state of J&K threw a hung assembly with no party managing to get a majority.
Ahead of the state election results stock market ended in the red.
While BJP-led NDA had won the Lok Sabha elections comfortably in May this year, it still depends on political support from rival parties for key decisions as the assent of both the houses of Parliament is required to see major decisions through.
Members of Rajya Sabha, or the Council of States, are elected by the elected members of state assemblies and union territories. Control of more state assemblies, therefore, boosts BJP-led NDA to get both houses of Parliament to vote through its key decisions.
In Jharkhand, of total 81 seats, results were out for 78 seats wherein BJP won 37 seats. Its alliance partner AJSU won five seats which gave the alliance just enough members to form the new state government.
Congress was down to just five seats though it was leading in another constituency and JMM had won 18 and was leading in one more for which the results were not out till the time of posting this article.
In terms of vote share BJP cornered 31.3 per cent of the votes polled with its alliance partner adding another 3.7 per cent. JMM was the second largest with 20.4 per cent and Congress garnered 10.4 per cent of the votes polled.
In J&K in contrast, BJP won 25 seats in the 87-member assembly and emerged as the second largest party behind PDP which won 28. National Conference won 15 seats while Congress won 12.
BJP, which has a stronghold in the Hindu dominated Jammu region, emerged as the single largest party with 23 per cent of the vote share, marginally ahead of PDP's 22.7 per cent.
Recently, BJP emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra and subsequently formed the state government. It also won the state elections in Haryana.
Previously, it had got a rude shocker in the state by-polls in the Hindi heartland of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)