NC leads but J-K stares at hung Assembly

Srinagar: In a major surprise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has swept the Jammu region in the Assembly elections for the 87-member state Assembly was all set to put up its best ever show.

As per the trends of all the 87 seats available at 1500 hrs IST, BJP was leading in 11 seats riding the Amarnath land row wave.

The National Conference (NC) was emerging as the single-largest party leading in 30 seats and was 14 short of the half-way mark of 44. NC President Omar Abdullah has said that his party would stake the claim to form the next government and will seek Congress’ support to muster majority.

Congress is leading in 15 seats while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was leading in 21 seats.

The trends indicate that just like 2002, the state will again have a hung Assembly.

Omar has won from Ganderbal constituency while PDP leader and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has won from Anantnag.

Amid tight security, counting of votes for the 87 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir started on Sunday at 0900hrs IST to install a popular government. The election results will end the nearly six-month long Governor's rule in the state.

Counting of votes began at 0900 hrs IST at 22 centres in district headquarters across the state.

J-K saw an unexpected high voter turnout of 61 per cent during the seven-phase elections despite a boycott call by separatists.

The turnout in 2002 elections was 43 per cent. Election commission officials have already said that the 2008 elections will go down as the most credible ever in the state.

As many as 1354 condidates, including 517 Independents, are seeking mandate from 87 constituencies. This was a record number of candidates contesting elections in state.

The first Assembly election was held in the state in 1957 when almost all the candidates were declared elected unopposed.

Prominent among those are in the fray including three former chief ministers - Dr Farooq Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Nabi Azad, two former deputy chief ministers Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Pandit Mangat Ram Sharma, speaker of the dissolved Assembly Tara Chand, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, NC President Omar Abdullah, about two dozen former ministers and senior functionaries of different political parties.