How Did the National Conference Secure Three Rajya Sabha Seats in J&K?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The National Conference won three Rajya Sabha seats.
- Only one seat was won by the BJP.
- Voting involved eighty-seven MLAs, with one casting a postal ballot.
- Strategic alliances played a crucial role in the election outcome.
- Upcoming by-polls are set for two vacant assembly seats.
Srinagar, Oct 24 (NationPress) On Friday, the National Conference (NC) successfully secured three Rajya Sabha seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) captured one out of the four contested seats during the elections held today.
Officials from the Election Commission confirmed that Mohammad Ramzan Chowdhary, Sajad Kichloo, and Shami Oberoi of the NC, alongside Sat Sharma of the BJP, emerged victorious in the Rajya Sabha elections conducted at the legislative assembly complex in Srinagar.
Out of eighty-seven MLAs who participated in Friday's voting, 86 cast their votes in person, while Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, currently under detention, utilized a postal ballot.
Sajad Lone from the Peoples Conference (PC) chose not to take part in the voting.
The NC held a strong advantage in securing three of the four available seats, with hopes of clinching the fourth seat bolstered by the backing of 6 Congress MLAs, 6 Independents, one from CPI-M, one from the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), and another from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Two assembly seats, specifically Nagrota in the Jammu division and Budgam in the Valley, are currently vacant and scheduled for by-polls on November 11.
The Budgam seat became vacant after Omar Abdullah resigned to represent the Ganderbal constituency in the 90-member J&K legislative assembly.
In the 2024 elections, Omar had successfully won both the Budgam and Ganderbal seats.
The Nagrota seat is unoccupied following the passing of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana, who had won this seat in the 2024 elections, on October 31, 2024.
In the 2024 elections, the NC garnered 42 seats, the BJP 29, Congress 6, PDP 3, CPI-M 1, PC 1, AIP 1, AAP 1, along with 6 Independents.
Subsequently, Congress opted to offer external support to the NC government led by Omar Abdullah, while 5 Independents later aligned with the NC.