In a surprising turn during the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured one seat on Friday amid reports of cross-voting, while the ruling National Conference (NC) claimed the remaining three. The polls, the first for the upper house of Parliament from the union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, took place in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Of the 88 sitting MLAs in the 90-member house, 86 cast votes at three polling booths between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., with Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone abstaining and Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik voting via postal ballot from jail. The four seats had fallen vacant in February 2021 after the terms of former MPs from the People's Democratic Party, BJP, and Congress ended.

The NC, assured of three seats through its alliance with the Congress and other partners, fielded candidates Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, Sajad Kichloo, and Imran Nabi Dar. The BJP nominated Ali Mohammed Mir, Rakesh Mahajan, and state chief Sat Sharma for three seats. While NC's Ramzan defeated Mir, Kichloo bested Mahajan, and Oberoi won unopposed for the third seat, the fourth saw dramatic cross-voting that propelled Sharma to victory with votes exceeding the BJP's 28 MLAs, overtaking Dar. This outcome defied expectations, as the NC-led coalition commanded a majority and was poised to sweep all four, highlighting potential fissures or strategic shifts within the opposition support base.

The cross-voting incident has sparked immediate controversy, with Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone, who boycotted the poll, accusing the NC and BJP of orchestrating a "fixed match" on X. Lone questioned why the NC polled 31 votes for its third candidate when 28 or 29 would have sufficed, suggesting deliberate over-voting to facilitate the BJP's gain. He further alleged an understanding between the two parties that denied a safe seat to the Congress, the NC's ally, and claimed it mathematically proved collusion. BJP workers celebrated Sharma's win, viewing it as a morale boost in the region, while NC leaders maintained silence on the specifics, focusing on their three successful candidatures as a validation of their governance post-Article 370.

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These elections underscore the evolving political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir, where the 2019 constitutional changes dissolved the statehood and integrated it as a union territory with a directly elected assembly. The results could influence future alliances ahead of upcoming polls, particularly as the NC-BJP rivalry intensifies. With Lone's abstention and allegations amplifying divisions, the outcome may prompt investigations into voting irregularities and reshape opposition dynamics. As the new Rajya Sabha members prepare to join Parliament, the episode serves as a reminder of the fragile coalitions in India's politically charged border region.

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