SRINAGAR: Voting for the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir gathered pace on Friday as 74 MLAs had cast their votes by noon, with the National Conference-led alliance receiving a significant boost following public support from Independent MLA Sheikh Khursheed.
The polling, which began at 9:00 AM at the J&K Legislative Assembly complex, is being held to elect four members to the Rajya Sabha. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was among the first to vote, along with MLAs from major political parties and several independents.
Independent MLA Sheikh Khursheed, brother of jailed politician Er. Rashid, confirmed that he would vote in favour of the National Conference. “We are supporting the NC to ensure the BJP does not win. I will also be meeting the Chief Minister,” he said.
With Khursheed’s backing, the NC-led alliance’s strength now stands at 58 MLAs enough to comfortably win three out of the four Rajya Sabha seats, and edge out the BJP on the fourth, unless unexpected cross-voting occurs.
By 12 PM, votes had been cast by MLAs from the NC, Congress, PDP, BJP, and other smaller parties. The voting process is scheduled to continue until 4:00 PM, with counting to begin at 5:00 PM.
While the BJP has secured 28 confirmed votes, the NC and its alliance partners are ahead by at least one vote, making it extremely difficult for the BJP to claim the fourth seat.
The final outcome now hinges on whether any cross-voting takes place. Political observers are closely watching independents and potential dissenters within parties, as even a single vote could impact the tight race for the fourth seat.
