Although the ruling National Conference (NC) clinched three out of four Rajya Sabha seats, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sprang a surprise by securing 32 votes on the fourth seat under the third notification. The BJP has only 28 MLAs in its kitty, yet its candidate Sat Pal Sharma managed to poll 32 votes.
Not only did four MLAs cross-vote in favour of the BJP candidate, but three votes were also declared invalid for this seat — the contest for which was closely watched by all political parties across the Union Territory.
Out of the 88 votes cast for the two Rajya Sabha seats under the third notification, BJP candidate Sat Sharma received 32 votes, NC's Shammi Oberoi got 31, and another NC candidate Imran Nabi Dar secured 22. Three votes were declared invalid.
This election marks the first-ever Rajya Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, and the first time that members of the Upper House of Parliament have been elected from the Union Territory.
Voting was held earlier in the day at the Legislative Assembly complex in Srinagar, where MLAs cast their ballots across three polling booths.
The NC's Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Sajjad Kichloo, and Gurwinder Singh Oberoi emerged victorious, while the BJP's Sat Sharma bagged the fourth seat.
The contest for the final seat remained uncertain until the last round of counting, with both parties claiming confidence in their respective numbers. Support from the Congress, PDP, CPI(M), and several Independents ensured a comfortable majority for the NC in three constituencies, while the BJP retained one seat with disciplined voting within its bloc.
Party leaders from both sides described the outcome as reflective of their respective strengths in the Assembly.
With the results declared, the National Conference has consolidated its dominance in Jammu and Kashmir's representation in the Rajya Sabha, while the BJP maintained a significant presence by winning one seat.
87 MLAs Cast Votes in Rajya Sabha Elections
Earlier, 87 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of Jammu and Kashmir cast their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections held on Friday, with polling concluding smoothly.
The postal ballot of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Mehraj Malik, who remains in detention, also reached the Returning Officer and was duly counted.
The 88-member Assembly witnessed near-complete participation, barring Peoples Conference (PC) president Sajad Gani Lone, who abstained from voting. Malik, meanwhile, exercised his franchise through a postal ballot from detention.
Political observers say the PC's decision to abstain was aimed at avoiding allegations of cross-voting and maintaining equidistance from both the NC and the BJP.
