Jammu and Kashmir: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) won three Rajya Sabha seats in the union territory, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured one seat, as elections concluded on Friday.
Omar Abdullah Questions Voting:
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took to X (formerly Twitter) to question the results, highlighting that there was “no cross-voting” from JKNC legislators. He asked:
“All of @JKNC_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 question arises—where did the 4 extra votes of the BJP come from?”
He also sought clarity on invalid votes, asking:
“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?”
JKNC and BJP Rajya Sabha Winners:
JKNC Winners:
Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan – 58 votes
Sajad Kichloo – declared winner
Shammi Oberoi – declared winner
BJP Winner:
Sat Paul Sharma – 32 votes, defeating NC’s Imran Nabi Dar (22 votes)
The JKNC congratulated its leaders on X:
“JKNC senior leader Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu Kashmir, winning by 58 votes. Congratulations!”
All four Rajya Sabha seats in 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.
JKNC Wins Three Rajya Sabha Seats In J&K, BJP Secures One; Omar Abdullah Questions BJP’s Extra Votes
