On Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly voted to fill four vacant Rajya Sabha seats, resulting in a significant political development for the Union Territory. The National Conference (NC), which currently governs the UT, secured three of the four seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed the remaining one. This election underscored the shifting alliances and strategic calculations within Jammu and Kashmir’s complex political landscape.
The three candidates chosen by the NC to represent Jammu and Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha are senior leader Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan from Kupwara, former legislator Sajad Kichloo, and party treasurer Shammi Oberoi. These selections reflect the party’s attempt to balance experience, representation, and internal party dynamics as it seeks to maintain its influence at the federal level. The BJP’s candidate, Sat Sharma, who is also the chief of the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, secured the fourth seat, marking the party’s continued presence and growing influence in the region.
The NC’s ability to clinch three seats was primarily due to its numerical strength within the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. This strength was further reinforced by support from allied parties, including the Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and several Independent MLAs who were elected in the Assembly polls held last year. The backing from these groups was crucial in consolidating votes to ensure the NC’s candidates succeeded. However, the fourth seat proved to be a more contentious battleground.
Initially, the NC had offered the fourth Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress party as part of their alliance arrangements. The Congress, however, declined the offer, expressing a preference to contest for one of the two “safe seats” in the election instead. This decision prompted the NC to field its own candidate, Imran Nabi Dar, for the fourth seat. Despite a hard-fought contest, Dar was ultimately defeated by the BJP’s Sat Sharma.
Chief Minister and NC vice-president Omar Abdullah publicly congratulated all the winning candidates but expressed disappointment over the loss of the fourth seat. Abdullah remarked that despite their concerted efforts to secure all four seats, the NC was “let down at the last moment.” He questioned the source of the BJP’s additional votes, emphasizing that all NC MLAs voted in unison for their candidates and there was no cross-voting from their side. Abdullah’s comments highlighted ongoing suspicions and speculation about the voting dynamics within the Assembly.
In a tweet, Abdullah said, “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? Who were the MLAs who…” His statement hinted at possible behind-the-scenes maneuvering or defections that helped the BJP clinch the fourth seat despite the NC’s majority.
Support for the NC candidates also came from the PDP, an opposition party in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Under the direction of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, the party’s three MLAs voted for the NC candidates in the Rajya Sabha elections. PDP MLA Waheed Para explained that the decision to support the NC was made in consideration of the “larger interest” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This collaboration was part of a broader political understanding, as Mufti had earlier secured assurances from the NC regarding support for two important Bills that the PDP intended to introduce in the ongoing Assembly session.
Para emphasized the nature of the contest, stating, “This is a contest of the BJP against the NC, and we are of the considered opinion that we had to vote for NC candidates to find representation in Parliament.” This statement underscored the PDP’s strategic choice to back the NC as a counterweight to the BJP’s growing political influence in the region, despite being in opposition themselves.
The Congress party also extended its support to the NC candidates, albeit with some reservations. On Thursday, Congress sent a letter to NC president Farooq Abdullah offering their backing in the Rajya Sabha elections. However, the letter also conveyed the Congress’s disappointment regarding its experience working with the NC government over the past year. Despite these grievances, Congress leaders chose to put aside their differences for the sake of what they termed a “larger cause.” Tariq Hameed Karra, president of the Congress’s Jammu and Kashmir unit, highlighted the party’s commitment to fighting