As the 11th Jammu and Kashmir [ Images ] Assembly elections returned a fractured verdict, 35 out of the 43 political parties that were in fray failed to win a single seat.

    
"Out of 43 political parties in fray, only eight have won different number of seats in the elections and 35 parties got a big zero," Election Department officials told PTI.

   
 A record number of 1354 candidates, including 517 independents, contested the seven-phased assembly elections in the state, having an 87-member assembly.

While three national parties - Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ], Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist and five regional parties--National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, People Democratic Front and J&K Democratic Party National- won 87 seats together, 750 candidates fielded by 35 outfits lost the hustings, the officials said.

    
The National Conference headed by Omar Abdullah [ Images ] topped the list with 28 seats, followed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's [ Images ] PDP with 21, Congress  with 17 and BJP with 11. The CPI-M [ Images ], PDF and JKDPN have all won one seat each.