The National Conference (NC) scored a major victory on Friday (24th October), winning three of four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured one. The polls were conducted to fill four vacant seats from the Union Territory. It was the first Rajya Sabha elections since the revocation of Article 370.
The NC, the ruling party in J&K now, will be sending senior leader Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan from Kupwara, former MLA Sajad Kichloo, and treasurer Shammi Oberoi of the party to the Rajya Sabha. BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president, Sat Sharma, won the fourth seat, the sole victory for the party in this round.
NC’s good performance was no surprise, considering its strength in the Assembly and the backing of the allies and Independents. Supported by the Congress, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and a few Independents, the NC won three seats with ease. The fourth seat saw a stiff competition between the NC’s Imran Nabi Dar and the BJP’s Sat Sharma. Ultimately, the BJP was able to push past Dar for its sole win.
All of @JKNC_ votes remained intact across the four elections, as witnessed by our election agent who saw each polling slip. There was no cross voting from any of our MLAs so the questions arise – where did the 4 extra votes of the BJP come from? Who were the MLAs who…
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 24, 2025
NC vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated all of the winners, including the BJP candidate. However, he admitted that losing the fourth seat was disappointing. “We were let down at the last moment, but I congratulate all those who made it through,” Omar said.
Heartiest congratulations to my colleagues Ch Mohd Ramzan Sb, Sajad Kichloo & Shammi Oberoi on their victory in the Rajya Sabha polls. I wish them well as they begin a new innings representing the people of J&K in the Parliament of India.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) October 24, 2025
Days earlier, the NC had offered the fourth seat to the Congress to contest, but it declined, saying it was looking for one of the two “safe seats”. This ultimately led to all four seats being contested by the NC for the ruling alliance.
PDP and Congress reach out to NC
The PDP, the opposition party in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, formally declared its support for the NC days before the voting. On the orders of party president Mehbooba Mufti, PDP MLAs voted for the NC candidates. PDP MLA Waheed Para stated that the decision was made in the “larger interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“This election was a direct contest between the BJP and the NC. We decided to stand with the NC so that the voice of J&K finds representation in Parliament,” Para said. Mehbooba Mufti had announced on Thursday (23rd October) that the NC had assured support to two key Bills the PDP plans to introduce in the ongoing Assembly session.
The Congress, too, extended support to the NC, despite expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s performance over the past year. Congress’s J&K unit chief, Tariq Hameed Karra, said his party decided to back the NC candidates “in the larger interest of unity.” “We may have our disagreements, but it is important to fight divisive forces together,” Karra said.
Independents side with NC to ‘keep BJP out’
The NC also received surprise support from Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) MLA Sheikh Khursheed, who said he was voting for the NC despite political differences. “This is not a vote for the NC’s agenda but against the BJP’s anti-Kashmir stance,” he said.
Independent MLA Shabir Kullay also voted for the NC, calling the election a “contest between the BJP and the people of Kashmir.” He criticised the PDP for attaching conditions to its support, saying this was a time to “rise above political calculations.”
Meanwhile, People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone chose to abstain from voting, calling the entire election a “fixed match.” After the results were announced, Lone posted on social media, “So, the BJP wins the fourth seat. As predicted, a fixed match. Axis of evil, NC and BJP. Thank God I abstained. Now mathematically proved.”
