- PDP Chief Hails NC’s Rajya Sabha Victory, Reaffirms Support to ‘Keep BJP Away’
Srinagar, Oct 24: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday congratulated the three victorious National Conference (NC) candidates who secured wins in the Rajya Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir, expressing hope that they would use their platform to voice the concerns and aspirations of the people in Parliament. The PDP, which had earlier announced its support for the NC “to keep the BJP away,” reiterated its commitment to safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir’s democratic and constitutional identity.
“Congratulations to Chowdry Ramzan Sahib, Sajjad Kichloo, and Shami Oberoi on being elected to the Rajya Sabha. I hope they will use this platform to strongly represent and speak up for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Mehbooba wrote on X, underlining the need for assertive representation in national forums.
The Rajya Sabha elections, held on Friday across three notifications, saw a direct contest between the NC and the BJP. In the first seat, senior NC leader Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan defeated BJP’s Ali Mohammad Mir with a decisive margin, securing 58 votes compared to the BJP’s 28. The second seat witnessed NC’s Sajjad Kitchloo overcoming BJP’s Rakesh Mahajan with 57 votes, while the BJP again managed its party strength of 28. One NC vote was rejected in this round.
For the third seat, under the final notification, NC fielded two candidates, G. S. Oberoi, popularly known as Shammi Oberoi, and Imran Nabi Dar. The BJP nominated its state president, Sat Sharma. Oberoi emerged successful with 31 votes, while Dar received 21. Sharma secured 32 votes, indicating the possibility of cross-voting from independent MLAs or minor factions. Three votes were declared invalid.