With NC pitted against BJP, voting for four Rajya Sabha starts in Srinagar

Voting is underway for the four seats of Rajya Sabha in Jammu and Kashmir, where the ruling National Conference (NC) and Opposition BJP have fielded candidates on four and three seats respectively. 

All eyes are on the fourth seat where the BJP win is only possible in case pro-NC votes and Independents remain absent or crossvote. Both the NC and the BJP exuded confidence ahead of the polling. 

The polling started at 9 a.m. at the J&K Legislative Assembly Complex, Srinagar. J&K Chief Minister and NC legislator Omar Abdullah was the first to vote from the party. There are three notifications of polling for four seats and the results will be declared after 5 p.m.

“We are confident of winning all the four Rajya Sabha seats. The Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have announced their support for our candidates,” NC leader and MLA Hasnain Masoodi said.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma said the BJP “will achieve its goal”. “These leaders joined hands because they don’t want their misdeed to come before the public. The Congress has always played second fiddle to the Abdullahs,” Mr. Sharma said, while commenting on the Congress and the PDP support to the NC.

The PDP on Thursday extended its support to the NC. “We have decided to vote for the NC in the larger interest of J&K. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti ji made it clear that the NC should also support the Bills related to land and daily wagers in the Assembly,” PDP leader and MLA Waheed-ur-Rehmaan Parra said. 

The current arithmetic suggested that ruling NC could win three seats and the BJP could manage the fourth seat only if it managed support from outside. 

The 90-member J&K Legislative Assembly has 88 legislators, as two seats of Budgam and Nagrota are currently vacant. The NC-Congress combine had the highest 52 MLAs, which includes NC’s 41, Congress’ six and support of the Independents. With the PDP, the NC has 59 votes. The BJP has the second highest at 27 seats. Awami Ittehad Party MLA Sheikh Khursheed said he will vote for NC “to keep the BJP out”. Sajad Lone’s J&K Peoples Conference has decided to abstain from voting.