In a shot in the arm for the Congress, the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced its support to Rahul Gandhi's party to form government in Madhya Pradesh.
The announcement by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav came less than an hour after Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati made a similar offer to the Congress for government formation in the Hindi heartland state of Madhya Pradesh.
"The SP supports the Congress to form the government in MP," Yadav tweeted in Hindi.
The Congress, which was locked in a tantalising see-saw battle with the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, has emerged as the single-largest party with 114 seats after the vote count ended on Wednesday morning, according to the State Election Commission Office.
The party is, however, two short of the simple majority mark, 116 seats, in the 230-member Assembly. The BJP was close behind with 109 seats.
The Bahujan Samaj Party won two seats and the Samajwadi Party one. Independents bagged four seats.