J&K Starts Voting for Rajya Sabha Elections
National Conference expected to secure three seats, BJP faces uphill battle for the fourth seat as cross voting could prove decisive.
SRINAGAR, Oct 24: Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu & Kashmir began on Friday morning, with political attention focused on the fiercely contested fourth seat. MLAs arrived at the Legislative Assembly complex to cast their votes at three polling booths set up within the premises.
The National Conference (NC) is poised to comfortably win three of the four seats. However, the fourth seat remains highly competitive, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NC holding equal numbers of MLAs. The BJP’s prospects were further weakened after Congress, PDP, and independent MLA Shabir Kulley extended their support to the NC.
Currently, NC candidates have the backing of 57 MLAs, including 41 from NC, six Congress MLAs, six independents, three PDP MLAs, and one CPI(M) MLA. The BJP holds 28 MLAs, while the voting intentions of Mehraj Malik and Sheikh Khursheed remain undisclosed. Malik, who is in detention under the Public Safety Act, cast his vote earlier from Kathua district jail.
The victory of NC candidates Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan and Sajjad Kichloo on the first two seats is considered certain, as both are expected to secure 57 votes against the BJP’s 28.
The third and fourth seats are being decided through a combined election, with candidates Gurwinder Singh Oberoi, Imran Dar (NC), and Sat Sharma (BJP) in direct competition. MLAs from the ruling alliance are expected to divide their votes between Oberoi and Dar, while all BJP MLAs will support Sharma. NC is likely to allocate 29 votes to Oberoi and 28 to Dar, matching the BJP’s 28 votes.
Unless there is cross-voting within the ruling alliance for the third and fourth seats, the BJP’s chances of winning a seat appear slim. Political observers are closely watching how the voting blocs will distribute their support, as it could be decisive for the final outcome.
