- ‘No deals, only conviction’: Sat Sharma dismisses NC, Sajad Lone after dramatic RS poll result
JAMMU, October 25: Jubilant scenes marked the return of Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Sat Sharma to Jammu after his surprising victory in the Rajya Sabha elections, where he secured the fourth seat against all odds. Addressing the media and cheering supporters at the party headquarters, Sharma described his win as a “historic and conscience-driven” mandate, achieved despite what he termed as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s attempt to divide the region on a Jammu versus Kashmir narrative.
“This victory is not about numbers but about trust,” Sharma declared, receiving a rousing welcome from workers who showered him with petals and chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. “We did not buy votes or make deals. We simply appealed to legislators to vote with their conscience. Today, we have four extra votes, but next time, forty more will stand with us on conviction, not compulsion.”
The BJP, which won one Rajya Sabha seat out of four, stunned political circles as Sharma clinched 32 votes, four more than the party’s strength of 28, defeating National Conference (NC) candidate Imran Nabi Dar, who received 22 votes. The ruling NC, however, managed to retain three seats through Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Kitchloo, and G. S. Oberoi (Shammi Oberoi).
The BJP chief accused Omar Abdullah of attempting to turn the election into a regional contest. “He tried to make it Jammu versus Kashmir, asking legislators to unite against us. But this victory has shown that Jammu and Kashmir’s people and their representatives want unity, development, and change under the vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’,” Sharma said.
He also dismissed People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone’s remarks alleging a “fixed match” between NC and BJP. “If he believes there was fixing, why didn’t he vote? Staying away from voting is not democracy. Participation is,” Sharma retorted.
The BJP’s Leader of Opposition, Sunil Sharma, extended gratitude to the seven legislators who “rejected the NC government’s arrogance” and voted in favour of the BJP candidate. “We don’t know who they are, but they have sent a message to this government. People are frustrated with the NC’s anti-people policies,” he remarked, asserting that this victory signified “the first crack in the NC’s inflated majority.”
Meanwhile, BJP’s dissident leader Jahanzaib Sirwal took a divergent stance, describing the entire Rajya Sabha contest as a “spectacle of horse-trading.” In a sharply worded statement, he said, “It is profoundly disheartening to see political opportunism being glorified as a masterstroke. The culture of cross-voting and bargaining erodes the moral foundation of democracy.”
Despite internal criticisms, party workers celebrated Sharma’s victory as a political breakthrough in Kashmir, symbolizing the BJP’s expanding reach beyond its traditional Jammu stronghold. Thousands thronged the Jammu Airport and accompanied Sharma in a grand procession to Trikuta Nagar, marking what party leaders called “a new dawn of confidence.”
Sharma, reflecting on the transformation in Kashmir’s atmosphere, said, “Gone are the days when fear dominated the streets. Today, one can walk freely in Lal Chowk and click a picture without hesitation. This is the Kashmir of change, a land of peace and progress.”
Expressing optimism about the upcoming Nagrota and Budgam bypolls scheduled for November 11, Sharma said the BJP was ready to replicate its Rajya Sabha success on the ground. “The BJP will not only win seats but hearts across the Union Territory,” he concluded amid cheers and chants from jubilant supporters.