While the Congress-Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) alliance has emerged with a tally of 25 of the state's 81 assembly seats, the NDA alliance of the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) has won 21.

A resurgent Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which had disassociated itself from its UPA allies and had gone it alone in the poll, won 18 seats -- one seat more than in the last polls of January 2005.

With both the Congress JVM(P) alliance and NDA falling way behind the requisite strength to form the government, JMM has emerged as the kingmaker. It is keeping its options open.

"I have the keys to government formation," an elated JMM chief Sibu Soren, 65, said.

His party leaders said in Ranchi that they would not bargain with any alliance for anything less than the chief minister's chair for Soren.
Congress Jharkhand-incharge, Keshav Rao said that being the largest alliance, they had the rightful claim to the CM's post, but added; they were ready for talks with their old UPA ally. The beleaguered BJP camp did not deny the possibilities of extending support to JMM for a non-Congress government formation.

"JMM is not an untouchable for us," former chief minister Arjun Munda of the BJP said.The JMM too made it clear it was ready to meet BJP halfway.

Former Chief Minister Madhu Koda's wife Geeta Koda won the Jagannathpur seat defeating her BJP rival by over 8000 votes. Dedicating the victory to her husband who is in jail on charges of amassing disproportionate assets, the 26 year-old said her priority would be to bring her husband back to his people.