I.N.D.I.A bloc's National Conference sweeps 3 Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu & Kashmir, BJP wins one

Srinagar: In a closely watched Rajya Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir, the I.N.D.I.A bloc secured three of the four vacant Upper House seats on Friday, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) captured the remaining seat, amid reports of cross-voting.

The election, held for the first time in over a decade since the abrogation of Article 370, began at 9 am at the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly complex in Srinagar and concluded at 4 pm. Counting of votes commenced at 5 pm, with results announced shortly thereafter.

The ruling National Conference (NC) celebrated victories for its candidates Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan and Sajad Kichloo, while party treasurer G.S. Oberoi, popularly known as Shammi Oberoi, won the third seat. The BJP’s Sat Sharma secured the fourth seat by receiving 32 votes, defeating NC’s Imran Nabi Dar, who garnered 22 votes.

Ramzan and Kichloo’s wins were largely anticipated, as the NC enjoyed the support of 58 legislators, including its own 41 members, six from Congress, three from the PDP, one CPI (M) member, and several independents.

However, the BJP’s tally of 32 votes on the fourth seat—despite holding only 28 legislators in the 88-member assembly—sparked questions about cross-voting.

J&K People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone, who abstained from the voting, alleged a “fixed match” between the NC and the BJP following the outcome of the polls. “So BJP wins the fourth seat. As predicted fixed match. Axis of evil. NC and BJP. Thank God I abstained. Imagine what my plight would have been,” he posted on X.

“Now mathematically proved. That it was a fixed match. Why did NC poll extra votes for candidate 3. They didn’t need to. They polled 31 votes for candidate 3. Only 29 votes would have sufficed. Even 28. Because BJP was fighting for seat 4,” he added.

The election had brought the I.N.D.I.A bloc into a tight coalition, with Congress and PDP extending support to the NC. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also NC working president, was among the first to cast his vote. According to official figures, 86 out of 88 legislators participated in the poll.

For the first time in J&K’s electoral history, Congress did not field a candidate, after NC retained the first two “safe” seats and offered the fourth seat to the party, which deemed it “unsafe.” Voting for the third and fourth seats, held through a common ballot, became contentious amid allegations of cross-voting.

Unlike Lok Sabha elections, Rajya Sabha voting is not secret, although independent legislators are not required to show their ballots to polling agents, fueling speculation. Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone abstained, while AAP legislator Mehraj-ud-Din Malik, incarcerated earlier this week, exercised his vote from jail after his request to vote in person was denied.

These elections mark a significant political exercise in J&K following the 2019 revocation of statehood and the reorganization of the Union Territory, highlighting both the evolving dynamics of local politics and the influence of cross-party alliances in the Upper House.