BJP's Math in Jammu and Kashmir After Hung Verdict

New Delhi: After a nail-biting results day that threw up a hung house, the process of government formation begins in Jammu and Kashmir today. The BJP, which posted its most impressive performance yet in the state to come in a close second to regional party PDP, is in the game and its Ram Madhav is expected to leave for Srinagar today.

BJP chief Amit Shah said on Monday that the party is open to all options - "taking support, lending support or participating in government." It won 25 seats, with the PDP or Peoples Democratic Party winning 28. A party or alliance needs 44 seats in the 87-member assembly to form government.

Among the options that the BJP can explore is to join hands with Omar Abdullah's National Conference, which has 15 seats, along with four others. Sources said, in such a scenario, the party could explore getting Mr Abdullah, the outgoing chief minister, to the Rajya Sabha, and appoint a BJP chief minister.

The BJP's second option could be to tie up with the PDP - a difficult choice ideologically. In this case, said party sources, a formula to rotate the chief minister's post could be explored.

The PDP as the largest party is weighing its own options for government formation - among them a tie-up with the Congress. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said her party "is in no hurry" as it assesses likely partners.

The Congress volunteered with senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad saying, "We are always open. We have allied with PDP in the past."

If the PDP goes with the Congress, which has 12 seats, it will need the support of at least four others to go past the halfway mark.

PDP plus Congress and BJP plus National Conference add up to the same number of seats - 40 - making it open season in J&K.

There is also talk of the BJP providing external support to a PDP government or then the BJP forming government with external support from the National Conference.

A final option, said BJP sources, could be the imposition of President's Rule if no alliance materializes.

Post Script: The PDP is yet to respond to Omar Abdullah's headline-grabbing offer made in an interview to NDTV on Monday. He said he cannot rule out supporting the PDP "if Mufti calls," referring to PDP chief Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Hostility between the two regional parties is so extreme that even talk of a covenant, however loose, is epochal.