With just a week left until the first phase of polls in Jammu and Kashmir, parties and candidates have ramped up their campaigning efforts. In Haryana, parties are scrambling to finalise their candidates, with September 12 being the last date for nominations. Jharkhand and Maharashtra are expected to hold elections in November, following the October polls in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.

In these states, 'Others' - which includes smaller parties and independents - have either played a pivotal role in the formation of governments or acted as spoilers to major contenders in the past. They could once again influence the outcome of the 2024 state elections, particularly as major parties face internal dissent in Haryana and a rise in independent candidates in Jammu & Kashmir.

The last elections in Jammu & Kashmir (2014) and Haryana (2019) resulted in hung assemblies. Jharkhand has seen hung verdicts in two of its four elections since its inception (2005 and 2009). Jammu & Kashmir, in all three of its polls this century (2002, 2008, and 2014), has never delivered a clear mandate.

In Haryana, two out of the five elections in this century (2009 and 2019) resulted in hung assemblies. In Maharashtra, 'Others' have averaged a 25% vote share and won 34, representing 12% of the assembly's strength.

In the 2002 elections, 'Others', including independents but excluding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), the Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured a 30% vote share and won 22 seats. The PDP and the Congress formed a post-poll arrangement, falling short by eight seats and relying on some of these independents and smaller parties.

By 2008, 'Others' held a 32% vote share but won only 10 seats. The JKNC and the Congress then formed a government through a........

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