J&K Rajya Sabha Poll Results: The ruling Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) on Friday clinched three of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won one. Senior JKNC leader Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan was elected to the Upper House with 58 votes, according to the party. His colleagues Sajad Kichloo and Shammi Oberoi also secured victories.
Announcing the results on X (formerly Twitter), the JKNC stated, “JKNC senior leader Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, winning by 58 votes. Congratulations!”
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Sat Paul Sharma won a seat with 32 votes, defeating NC candidate Imran Nissar, who polled 22 votes.
The four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir had remained vacant since February 2021, following the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, and Nazir Ahmed Laway. Celebrations erupted in the BJP camp after the unexpected victory of the party’s Union Territory President Satpal Sharma, who secured 32 votes — four more than the BJP’s total number of MLAs — marking a significant and surprising win.
However, the cross voting drew sharp criticism from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “All of National Conference votes remained intact across the four elections, as witnessed by our election agent who saw each polling slip. There was no cross voting from any of our MLAs so the questions arise – where did the 4 extra votes of the BJP come from? Who were the MLAs who deliberately invalidated their votes by marking a wrong preference number while voting? Do they have the guts to put their hands up and own up to helping the BJP after promising us their votes? What pressure or inducement helped them make this choice? Let’s see if any of the BJP’s secret team own up to selling their souls!”
The victorious NC candidates — Choudhary Ramzan, Sajad Kichloo, and Shammi Oberoi — secured their seats with strong support, while BJP’s Sat Sharma narrowly defeated NC’s Imran Nabi Dar to claim the fourth seat. Voting took place under tight security at the J&K Assembly complex, with all 86 MLAs casting their votes in person, along with one postal ballot submitted by incarcerated Doda MLA Mehraj Malik.
With the new Rajya Sabha members set to be sworn in during the upcoming parliamentary session, the election marks a significant milestone in Jammu and Kashmir’s post-restoration political landscape. Experts believe the outcome will not only strengthen regional parties ahead of the next Assembly elections but may also influence the opposition’s stance in the national Parliament.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
