NC wins three out of four seats in IIOJK’s first Rajya Sabha polls after Article 370 abrogation
Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) on Friday secured three out of four Rajya Sabha seats from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won one.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the elections were held to fill four Rajya Sabha seats for IIOJK for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Voting took place earlier in the day at the IIOJK Legislative Assembly complex in Srinagar, where MLAs cast their ballots at three polling booths.
The victorious NC candidates are Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Sajjad Kichloo, and Gurwinder Singh Oberoi. BJP’s Sat Sharma won the fourth seat. The NC’s success was bolstered by support from the IIOJK Congress, PDP, CPI(M), and several independent MLAs, giving it a comfortable majority in three constituencies.
Sat Sharma received 32 votes—four more than the BJP’s nominal strength in the Assembly—indicating cross-voting from non-BJP MLAs played a crucial role in his victory. Without this support, the saffron party’s win would have been unlikely.
With these results, the NC has consolidated its influence in Rajya Sabha representation from IIOJK.
