BJP victory in J&K Rajya Sabha polls sparks NC, PC, Congress row

The BJP's victory on one of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir has triggered a round of accusations among regional parties, each blaming the other for helping the saffron party.

While the National Conference (NC) comfortably won three seats, the BJP clinched the fourth with 32 votes-four more than its official strength of 28 in the assembly. The extra votes have fuelled speculation of cross-voting and tacit support from rival camps.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said all NC legislators had voted for their party's nominees and hinted that "non-NC legislators" were responsible for the betrayal. He also accused People's Conference (PC) chief Sajad Lone of aiding the BJP by abstaining from voting. "The MLA from Handwara didn't want to harm BJP by voting against them," Abdullah said.

Lone, in turn, hit back, alleging a "fixed match" between the NC and BJP. "There's a coalition jointly managed by CM Omar Abdullah and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma. Why did the NC give an extra vote to the third candidate who was already safe? They could have used it for the fourth seat," Lone said.

AAP legislator Mehraj Malik, who cast his vote through postal ballot from jail under the Public Safety Act, also accused the NC of aligning with the BJP.

Interestingly, the NC had earlier offered the fourth seat to the Congress, which declined, calling it "unsafe." The Congress preferred to contest one of the first two seats instead. After results were declared, J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra posted a cryptic message on X: "Congrats to JKNC for securing 3 safe seats and putting up a strong fight for the 4th unsafe seat."

PDP leader Zuhaib Yusuf Mir called the NC's loss of the fourth seat a "collective setback to the ideological unity" that Jammu and Kashmir needs to uphold its secular fabric.