Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley with Ram Madhav in Jammu on Thursday. (Photo: Press Trust of India)
The deeply fissured election result in Kashmir -no party got a clear majority - has all major players speed-dating as they check each other out for a potential union.
The Governor of the state, NN Vohra, has written to the BJP and the People's Democratic Party (PDP, which won the most seats - 28 as compared to the BJP's 25) asking them to submit their proposals on forming the government.
Sources say the BJP will inform the Governor that it has the largest post poll alliance in the state and is likely to submit a letter of support from the independent MLAs. The BJP has been claiming the support of six independents, along with its 25 MLAs.
Top BJP leader Ram Madhav said today that talks are being held with both the PDP, headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, and the other regional party, National Conference, whose leader Omar Abdullah resigned yesterday as Chief Minister.
"PDP or NC (National Conference) should come forward to form a stable government... we are exploring the option of how best to form a good government so that we can deliver," said Ram Madhav to NDTV.
The BJP's legislators feel that the election results - the best ever for the party in India's only Muslim-majority state - signal that the BJP should be the senior partner in a coalition government. BJP sources said their candidate for Chief Minister will be Jitendra Singh, currently serving as union minister.
Mr Abdullah tweeted today that he has made a verbal offer of support to his arch-rival, the PDP.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Looks like PDP is playing mind games with the BJP leaking about a letter of NC support that doesn't exist. Only a verbal offer conveyed.</p>— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) <a href="https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/548462482864340993">December 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
For the BJP, Mr Abdullah is seen as a more viable partner than the PDP, whose stand on most issues central to Kashmir are the polar opposite of the BJP's. For example, the BJP has said it would like to remove article 370, which grants Kashmir special constitutional status and the power to make its own laws; the PDP has described the ending of this provision as unacceptable, as has Mr Abdullah.
Sources in the BJP say the party is working on an agenda that would allow it to find some common ground for governance with a regional party.