The opinion polls have kept PDP as the largest single party but sans majority to form its own government.

2.24 pm: Arun Jaitley, Arun Singh appointed observers for J&K

The BJP Parliamentary Board has appointed two observers each for Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, party general secretary JP Nadda.

Arun Jaitley and Arun Singh were appointed observers for Jammu and Kashmir reported PTI.

1:45 pm: Omar Abdullah tenders resignation, changes Twitter bio

Omar Abdullah has formally tendered his resignation to the J&K governor. Expectedly the announcement is on Twitter:

6 years ago I drove in to stake my claim to form a government in J&K, now I'm driving in to resign. The wheel comes full circle. — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 24, 2014

Bio changed — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 24, 2014

10:20 am: PDP still non-commital

The PDP has the highest number of seats after the elections but it's still not committing to who its alliance partner could be in the formation of the next government in the state.

A PDP spokesperson told CNN-IBN that it was too early to take a decision on the matter.

9:30 am: Omar Abdullah takes to Twitter to mock PDP, says he's not down and out just yet

The outgoing Chief Minister isn't missing a chance to take potshots at the potential Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Twitter. Here's what he's had to say since morning:

NC has 15+2 & we are very pleased, PDP has 28 & Mufti Sb hasn't been seen, much less heard. Clearly the more you have the more you want — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 24, 2014

Expectations were hyped & twisted to such an extent that now 17 feels like a victory & 28 a defeat. Go figure!!!!! — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 24, 2014

Incidentally in 2002 Mufti became CM with 16 MLAs & NC with 28 sat in opposition so excuse me if I don't oblige by rolling over to play dead — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 24, 2014

End of updates for 23 December

7.05 pm: Rotational formula for CM?

Headlines Today reported that backdoor parleys have already started both with the PDP and the NC on the formation of the next government in Jammu and Kashmir.

BJP leader Ram Madhav, who is likely to go to Srinagar for further talks with the PDP, said, "We are looking at all options. We should have such a government in the state that looks upon the development aspect and aspirations of the people in all regions of the state."

The news channel reported that the BJP and PDP might even agree to chief ministership on a rotational basis for three years each.

6.30 pm: NC still has a chance to be in government

According to a report on CNN-IBN, the BJP which has won 25 seats in the state is also keeping its option open to forge an alliance with the National Conference. The National Conference has won 15 seats. However, the minimum required to number to form a government in the 87-member Assembly is 44 seats and the BJP is hoping to get support from the independent MLAs. There are seven independent MLAs in Jammu and Kashmir.

Following is the final tally of seats in 87-member J&K Assembly

5.20 pm: PM hails high voter turnout in J&K

Celebrating the record voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Record turnout in J&K polls showed people's faith in democracy thank them from the bottom of my heart for placing confidence in BJP." Echoing similar sentiments, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also tweeted, "I also congratulate the people of J&K and Jharkhand for participating in the democratic process and electing their representatives."

4.45 pm: Results not as per expectations, says Mehbooba

While thanking the state administration and the Centre for the smooth conduct of polls, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said that the performance of the PDP has not been as good as the party expected.

"It is not a decisive mandate. It is not as per our expectations. But we are definitely looking for a government which is based on our agenda. We are looking for a government which can accommodate the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It is difficult to announce that immediately," Mehbooba said.

The PDP leader made it clear that no decision will be taken in a hurry.

"We are going to deliberate and explore on the possibilities on alliances. We will take time and not do anything in a hurry," she said.

4.30 pm: Victory better than 2008: Omar Abdullah

Outgoing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said that he felt more like a winner this time around than his victory in 2008.

"Feel more of a victor today than I did 2008. The media gave me 10 seats in opinion polls. I won 17," Omar told NDTV.

Putting up a brave front, the chief minister said the poll results are not the end of the road for the National Conference.

"National Conference is the only party that has pulled anything out of the general elections' debris. National Conference is a very significant player in whatever may happen Jammu and Kashmir in coming days," he said. Omar said that the ball is now in the court of the "BJP, PDP and Congress to figure something out".

The outgoing chief minister made it clear that he is not going to PDF chief's residence to congratulate him.

"Not going to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's house. I have not spoken to any party yet," Omar told ANI.

Giving his assessment on the reason for his party's defeat, Omar said, "There was a factor of anti-incumbency against National Conference, also we had to pay the price of J&K floods. We couldn't have performed better in given circumstances, it is not our but PDP's failure as they didn't get clear majority."

But he refused to single out any particular reason for the defeat.

"Too simplistic to point out one single reason for the defeat. Flood was one of the reasons yes but it was certainly not in Chenab valley. In fact, it is surprising that BJP won three seats," the chief minister said. "There were many things I planned but could not do in the summer of 2010. Some I could not do because of coalition compulsions and others for different reasons," Omar told CNN-IBN.

The outgoing chief minister said that his party has not received any communication from any party on alliances.

"We haven't received any offer, nor we are looking for one. We are ready to play the role of constructive opposition for six years. PDP and Congress would not be able to form the government with these numbers. Congress has proved they are neither permanent friends nor rivals in politics," he said.

Omar said that he does not regret not fighting the polls from Ganderbal but fighting from two seats was a mistake.

"I always knew Sonawar was going to be tough. I wanted to fight from one seat from Beerwah but party insisted on two. It is a lesson to be learnt," he said.

The outgoing chief minister also said that the BJP did not do well as the party might have expected in private.

"BJP did better than they have did in the past. But in private they would be disappointed as they expected nearly 30 seats if not 44," Omar said.

Talking about stability in the next government, he said, "The only alliance that works out right now in terms of numbers and looks less messy is a PDP-BJP one."

But the outgoing chief minister made it clear that he won't disappear and would be around.

"It would be tougher for Mufti to seat for six years. Just calculate what age he will reach by then. I am only 44. By the next poll, I would be only 50. I would be a very strong voice in the Opposition," Omar said.

https://twitter.com/ibnlive/status/547338686002507776

4.08 pm: BJP, PDP may be open to form govt together

The CNN-IBN that reported hectic parleys are on in Srinagar within the PDP camp and the grapevine is on that the party might go ahead with a tie-up with the BJP. Similar indications were already given by BJP chief Amit Shah at a press conference in New Delhi a short while ago.

According to the report, senior leader Mehbooba Mufti is likely to address the media not too long from now.

When asked if the BJP is an untouchable for the PDP as the party has major ideological differences with the national party.

"How can the BJP be untouchable? It will be an insult to the people of India," said a senior leader.

Importantly, PDF won majority seats in the Kashmir Valley while BJP dominated in Jammu.

3:30 pm: All options are open on alliances, says BJP chief Amit Shah

The BJP president said that they were open to all alliances in the state but would wait for other parties to take initiative if their suppport was needed.

3:25 pm: Have become relevant in J&K politics, says BJP chief Amit Shah

BJP chief Amit Shah congratulated the architects of the victory in the two states and after some sweets being exchanged, sat down to address a press conference.

"2014 was the year of unprecedented electoral successes for the BJP," Shah said.

No surprises on who he gave credit to for the party's showing in the two states: Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that the elections in Jammu and Kashmir showed that the party had become a relevant political force in the state. And he also had some not-so-nice things to say about the Congress.

"I hope that the Congress-mukt drive continues across the country," he said.

3:00 pm: National Conference still in with a chance?

J&K story shifts dramatically again. National Conference upto 16 or 17. With two independents & BJP it could form the govt. NC back in play — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) December 23, 2014

2:10 pm: Omar Abdullah holds on, wins Beerwah seat by 902 votes

So it turns out that Omar Abdullah may just be going to the Kashmir Assembly after all.

Firstpost contributor Sameer Yasir reports that the J&K CM may have won by 902 votes in the Beerwah seat after initial reports said that he had crashed to defeat.

Thank you to all of you gloating over my premature defeat in Beerwah, it's made the victory even sweeter :- — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 23, 2014

Dear @IndiaToday please don't be so quick to write my political obituary. Request you check Beerwah result again. Thank you. Meanwhile, talking about post-poll alliance with the Congress, Ghulam N Azad told ANI that PDP has to take a call on whether it wants to go with secular or communal forces. — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 23, 2014

2:00 pm: PDP to meet soon, alliance with BJP on the cards?

The PDP will be meeting shortly where it is expected to discuss its future course of action and whether an alliance is possible with the BJP or Congress.

Firstpost senior editor Sandipan Sharma says the PDP should swallow its pride and ally with the BJP just to ensure the development of Jammu and Kashmir. Read his piece here

1:05 pm: Omar Abdullah crashes to defeat in Beerwah as well

According to Firstpost contributor Sameer Yasir, the J&K Chief Minister has lost in the second seat of Beerwah as well where he was leading earlier.

He's not acknowledged it on Twitter yet but it will be a hard knock for the Chief Minister who abandoned the seat he had earlier contested from to contest from these two seats.

1:00 pm: How the parties stand presently in J&K

12:40 pm: Omar Abdullah concedes defeat in Sonwar, tweets congrats to opponent

Congratulations to Ashraf Mir for his victory in Sonwar. I wish him & the people all good luck for the next 6 years. He's now my local MLA. — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) December 23, 2014

However he's not out of the race just yet. He's still in the lead in the Beerwah seat for now.

12:00 pm: Sayeed wins comfortably in Anantnag

Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, the PDP's most likely Chief Ministerial candidate has won the Anantnag seat, according to reports. He was leading by over 6,000 votes.

BJP's Hina Bhat after an early lead has reportedly finished third in Amirakadal where Altaf Bukhari of the PDP has emerged victorious.

National Conference's Shameema Firdous has won the Habbakadal seat, which was being eyed by the BJP because of the large number of Kashmiri Pandit votes. But only 5169 Kashmiri Pandits voted out of 9638 in the eight assembly segments of Srinagar.

In Baramulla constituency, PDP's Javid Hassan Beg has won.

11:55 am: Political parties won't hold any victory processions today

In the wake of devastating September floods in Jammu and Kashmir and recent massacre of over 130 school students in Peshawar, political parties in Kashmir have decided not to hold any victory processions, reports Firstpost's Sameer Yasir.

Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Rohit Kansal, had shot off a letter to all the Deputy Commissioners on Saturday asking them to hold meetings with representatives of different political parties regarding victory celebrations after the poll results are declared on 23 December.

11:45 am: PDP-BJP would be most stable, but PDP-Congress govt most likely

Firstpost editor-in-chief R Jagannathan says that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mission 44 in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has failed, but the party has established itself as a powerhouse in Jammu, relegating the Congress to second place. But the Congress has not been humbled in Jammu – as was widely feared.

The results and counting trends show that we are headed for a hung assembly in J&K, with the BJP and the PDP being the top two parties with more-or-less similar seats, and the National Conference (NC) and Congress being the runners up in the regional and national parties categories.

Other combinations are also possible, including a PDP-Congress-independents khichdi coalition. Such a coalition would be ideologically more compatible than a PDP-BJP one, but it would include several independents who may bring instability because some of their separatist leanings.

Read more

11:05 am: First official win declared: And it goes to the National Conference

Senior leader and General Secretary of National Conference, Ali Mohammad Sagar, has won from the Khanyar constituency, reports Firstpost's Sameer Yasir.

Sagar was a minister in J&K government, and has been re-elected for the fourth consecutive term from Khanyar constituency. He was up against PDP's Mohahamad Khursheed Alam, a former trade union leader.

11:00 am: How the parties are doing in J&K

Here's the picture as it stands in J&K:

10:40 am: Best alternative: A BJP-PDP government?

Given the hung nature of the J&K verdict, the only viable coalition will be a PDP-BJP one which will have a clear majority, says Firstpost editor-in-chief R Jagannathan.

He says:

This is also the most desirable outcome, as it will include strong representation to both Kashmir and Jammu regions in a future government. Every other formation will be unstable, though a PDP-BJP coalition will not exactly be an easy marriage to manage.

10:35 am: Congress says it's not ruling out alliance with PDP or NC

Veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad has gone with the Congress's tried and tested line. Azad said that the election results so far showed that earlier projections which said that the PDP and BJP would sweep the state had been proven completely wrong.

And what of an alliance with the PDP?

"We would never go with BJP. As for PDP & NC, we have had alliance with them in the past too,lets see what happens," he told ANI.

We suspect this song may be playing at the Abdullah's residence presently:

10:30 am: PDP says its unsure on whom to ally with just yet

It's two hours since he last spoke but his stand remains the same. Nayeem Akhtar, spokesperson of the PDP, said that the party won't reveal who it wants to ally with presently.

However, he also highlighted the quandry that the party finds itself in. Akhtar said that the party couldn't ally with the Congress as easily as is being projected.

"The vote in this election has been against the Congress and the National Conference," he said.

And the BJP? "We have ideological differences with the BJP," he said.

"It is a very complicated situation," Akhtar said. A fair assessment.

Meanwhile the BJP is celebrating the results so far:

#PollResults : Celebrations at BJP party office in Jammu pic.twitter.com/3OWSLyCndX — ANI (@ANI_news) December 23, 2014

10:15 am: Independents may hold key to J&K govt formation

And the situation remains fluid in Jammu and Kashmir, and Firstpost's editor-in-chief R Jagannathan says that the trends around mid-morning show that J&K is heading for hung assembly, with even the PDP and Congress not clearly having a majority on its own.

Independents are edging up in the numbers, and they may thus hold the key. J&K may well turn out to be ungovernable. But the surprise is the Congress’ fairly good showing in Jammu – against the odds.

9:55 am: How confusing is the picture in Jammu and Kashmir? Here's a glimpse

To know just how confusing it is to track the J&K election results, here's what the various channels are saying are the leads presently:

And here's what the Election Commission says:

According to Firstpost editor-in-chief R Jagannathan has to say:

The joke may be on the TV channels this time when it comes to covering counting trends in J&K and Jharkhand. Each channel has been flashing widely divergent numbers on the leads of various parties, suggesting that each one is getting different feeds at different points of time.

It could also be an indicator of slim margins. In J&K, some channels show the BJP as the biggest party, and some the PDP. Only in Jharkhand are the trends consistent everywhere, but the BJP’s leads show a huge divergence – with BJP leads ranging from 35 to 53.

9:40 am: Congress non-committal on whom it will back

Senior Congress leader and a Minister in Omar Abdullah government Taj Mohiuddin who is seeking his third consecutive term from the Uri constituency in north Kashmir said, “It would be the decision of party high command weather they would like to have an alliance and with which party. I don’t know that the party high command had to decide.”

9:35 am: Omar Abdullah now trails in Sonawar

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is now trailing by over 1800 votes from PDP candidate Mohammad Ashraf Mir in Sonawar, reports PTI. So the National Conference might have one less seat in the Assembly.

9:30 am: Congress Deputy CM on the ropes in Chhamb

Deputy Chief Minister and Congress candidate from Chhamb Tara Chand is trailing Krishan Lal of BJP by a margin of 2110 votes.

The Congress is leading in around 8 seats presently.

9:15 am: National Conference, Omar Abdullah look set to play spoiler for PDP

Firstpost editor-in-chief R Jagannathan has the following takeways from the results so far:

The National Conference appears to be winning enough seats to deny PDP a full victory. With PDP-NC scores at 30:13 when leads were out for 73 out of 87 seats.

It is now clear that Modi has not been able to break the stranglehold of the two families in the valley. But this has raised the possibility of a hung assembly – possibly with PDP-Congress attempting to form a government.

This will be the BJP’s best showing ever, with the party leading in 23 out of 73 seats for which leads were available. This means it will be a strong opposition, but the chances are it will be more the voice of Jammu than Kashmir. However, the BJP’s main achievement will be if it breaks its jinx in the Valley and secures at least one or two seats

BJP’s Mission 44 in J&K may have failed, but the very prospect of its success seems to have prompted a huge turnout in the Kashmir Valley, enabling the PDP and NC to strengthen their votes. Mission 44 may have failed, but it has instead galvanised democracy in the Valley.

Here are the results as they stand:

9:10 am: PDP refuses to comment on potential ally Nayeem Akhtar, spokesperson of the PDP, refuses to be drawn into which party they could ally with in order to form the government in the state. "It is too early to comment on the results. The BJP is said to be leading in 8 seats in the valley, let's wait another half hour and see," Akhtar told Headlines Today. 9:05 am: PDP set to form govt with Congress support? Here's what Firstpost's editor-in-chief R Jagannathan has to say about the poll results so far: Given the break-up of Jammu & Kashmir trends so far, where PDP leads in 24 constituencies and BJP in 20 and Congress six, the most likely possibility is a PDP government constituted with the help of Congress and independents. But independents are too few to matter. 9:00 am: Omar Abdullah provides two of NC's leads in the state Incumbent Chief Minister Omar Abdullah dumped his traditional seat of Ganderbal in order to contest from two other constituencies in the state and he may be one of the few MLAs from the party to make it to the Kashmir Assembly. He presently leads in the Beerwah constituency in Budgam and Sonwar seat in Srinagar. To put in perspective how much the NC is reliant on him: the party is leading in 13 seats in the state of which two of them come from the Chief Minister. And unfortunately he will have to ditch one. 8:45 am: BJP's Hina Bhat in the lead in Kashmir valley It might have been considered unlikely earlier but the BJP's biggest name in the Kashmir valley, Dr Hina Bhat, is leading in the Amira Kadal constituency of Srinagar. She may be in the lead but NC MLA Nasir Aslam Wani is not out of the race just yet. Headlines Today reports that the BJP is leading in an unexpected 6 seats in the valley. However, the PDP has made inroads into the Jammu region, one that was originally considered a stronghold of the BJP.

If Hina Bhat wins Amirakadal on BJP tkt and Sajjad Lone as a BJP "friend", it is indeed a tectonic shift in politics of Jammu & Kashmir. — Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) December 23, 2014

8:35 am: BJP leaders begin patting themselves on the back The results are still coming in but the BJP already has plenty of reason to smile with the party likely to put up one of its best shows in the state. And Minister of State Jitendra Singh is pretty happy with the results so far though counting is far from over:

Dr.Jitendra Singh,MoS PMO: BJP will create history in J&K. The huge turnout during the BJP rallies was historic pic.twitter.com/Y2RYLciLWD — ANI (@ANI_news) December 23, 2014

Dr.Jitendra Singh,MoS PMO: We have proved that BJP is an organization to reckon with in J&K. #PollResults — ANI (@ANI_news) December 23, 2014

8:30 am: Former separatist leader Sajjad Lone leading in Handwara seat Former separatist leader Sajjad Lone is reportedly leading in the Handwara constituency where he's in a pitched battle against the National Conference's Chaudhary Mohammed Ramzan, a four time MLA. 8:20 am: PDP in the lead presently in J&K, NC still to get a single lead The PDP now is leading in 4 seats while the BJP is leading in 3. The National Conference is still to take the lead in a single seat. Here's the tally as it stands according to CNN-IBN: PDP-4 BJP- 3 NC- 0 Congress-0 Others - 0 8:10 am : Counting begins and the first leads go to BJP and PDP Counting has begun for the closely watched elections in Jammu and Kashmir and the first leads are with the BJP and PDP. CNN-IBN reports that the PDP and BJP are both leading in one seat each presently. 7:15 am: High security ahead of counting in Kashmir

Final preparations for counting on, security tightened in Jammu #PollResults pic.twitter.com/uf7vNKacF2 — ANI (@ANI_news) December 23, 2014

7:00 am: Sayeed may be set to win but can he become Chief Minister? As soon as the clock starts ticking from 8 am today, people in Jammu and Kashmir will get even more anxious to find out who their next chief minister will be. The counting of votes in the state that went through a nearly a month long five-phase poll, starting 25 November till 20 December, will decide the fate of 821 candidates. Apart from the expected political cacophony and security concerns, the state saw an unprecedented rise in voting percentage this time, recording 66 percent against 56 percent in 2008.

The high turnout in Jammu and Kashmir is certainly a compliment to the democratic process that voted for its 87-member Assembly. But now with counting arriving at the doorstep, the focus is on Leader of Opposition and People's Democratic Party's chief ministerial candidate Mufti Mohammad Sayeed who is trying to retain his Anantnag seat. The opinion polls have kept PDP as the largest single party but sans majority to form its own government. If the opinion polls prove to be accurate, the era of coalition politics is likely to continue in the state. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has fought the polls from the constituencies of Beerwah and Sonawar, is facing anti-incumbency and is unlikely to retain power as per predictions made by different opinion polls. But that would not mean a landslide for the BJP despite a spirited campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the aim of mission 44+. According to the India TV-C-Voter poll, the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led PDP is likely to get 32-38 seats with BJP following closely with 27-33 seats. The ruling National Conference might get eight-10 seats while the Congress has to content itself with four-10 seats. The rest will, in all probability, get two-eight seats. The key point is none of the parties will get the minimum 44 seats on its own to form a single party government, the poll said. Aggregating results of three exit polls, NDTV's poll of polls predicted similar results for PDP making it as the largest single party but short of sufficient numbers to form its own government. The party is likely to get 37 seats while BJP may get 24. The poll said Congress and National Conference will get eight and 11 seats respectively. From the forecast made by political pundits, it is evident that the state is heading for a Hung Assembly lest Sayeed manages support from MLAs outside his party for the next six years. In the outgoing Assembly that was voted in 2008, National Conference had won 28 seats while PDP got 21.

From the security standpoint, the poll process this year also saw few instances of violence. Among all the attacks that took place during the polls, the attack on an army camp in Uri resulted in the death of eight army soldiers including a Lt Col. Two cops were also killed while six militants were neutralized in the process.

On 2 December, army killed six terrorists foiling an infiltration attempt in Handwara of Kupwara district losing one of its own. In another incident on 28 November, 12 people died including three army personnel and five militants in Arnia sector of Jammu region, when militants attacked on an army patrol. There were grenade attacks in Anantnag and Tral as well during this period.