Jammu and Kashmir: National Conference wins three Rajya Sabha seats; BJP victorious in one

The National Conference has won three Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, while the BJP has managed to win in one.

Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan of the NC was declared the winner of the first seat while Sajad Kichloo managed to win in the second, as part of a statement by the party.

Kichloo contested the seat against the BJP's Rakesh Mahajan.

Its third winner was G S Oberoi, who is also known as Shammi Oberoi. He is also the NC's treasurer.

Sat Sharma, who is of the BJP, won the fourth seat by bagging 32 votes. The NC candidate for the same seat, Imran Nabi Dar, received 22 votes.

'Pakoras' and 'chai' sustained NC in key meet with allies

Omar Abdullah, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, held a last-minute strategy session on the arithmetic for the Rajya Sabha elections with his party leaders in the J&K assembly complex on Friday, and to keep them going, there was a regular supply of 'pakoras' and 'chai', he said in a post on social media.

Abdullah shared images from his office during the meeting, saying, "Behind the scenes in my office in the assembly complex while we work out the arithmetic and strategy of the Rajya Sabha polls," adding, "Sustenance comes from a regular supply of paneer and onion pakodas and canteen chai."

The NC and the PDP had also issued three-line whips to their MLAs to ensure their presence during the voting.

The PDP and Congress had both announced that they would be supporting NC candidates in the elections.

This was the first Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. The Union Territory had remained without a representative in the Upper House of the Parliament since 15 February, 2021, after Nazir Ahmed Laway and Ghulam Nabi Azad completed their terms.

Two other members of the RS from J&K, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas, had completed their terms on 10 Feb, 2021.

Omar Abdullah disappointed with cross-voting

Omar Abdullah has also voiced his disappointment by the cross-voting, which possibly helped the BJP clinch one seat from J&K. In a social media post he said, “All of @JKNC_ votes remained intact across the four elections, as witnessed by our election agent who saw each polling slip,” adding, "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!"