The Farooq Abdullah-led Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) scored a major victory on Friday, winning three of the four Rajya Sabha seats from the Union Territory, while the remaining seat went to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Senior JKNC leaders Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Sajad Kitchloo, and Shammi Oberoi emerged victorious, reaffirming the party’s dominance in the region’s first Upper House polls since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the bifurcation of the former state into two Union Territories.
According to election officials, Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan secured 58 votes, defeating BJP’s Ali Mohammad Mir, who received 28 votes, all from his party MLAs. One vote was declared invalid, and no cross-voting was reported, sources told News18.
Sajad Kitchloo clinched the second seat for the NC, while party treasurer Shammi Oberoi captured the third, marking a historic moment as she becomes the first Sikh MP from Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP’s Sat Paul Sharma won the fourth seat, ensuring the party’s representation from the Union Territory in the Rajya Sabha.
The National Conference celebrated the outcome on its official X handle, congratulating the newly elected members and describing the result as a “reflection of faith in the party’s commitment to J&K’s democratic and secular values.”
Friday’s election was significant as it was the first Rajya Sabha contest in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019. The Union Territory’s four seats had remained vacant since February 2021, when the terms of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Nazir Ahmed Laway, Fayaz Ahmed Mir, and Shamsher Singh Manhas ended.
Voting took place earlier today inside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly complex. Reports said that officials were overseeing a smooth and peaceful polling process.
The results mark an important political milestone for the Union Territory as parties continue to navigate the post-Article 370 political landscape and prepare for the much-anticipated Assembly elections.
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