Srinagar, Oct 24, 2025 - The National Conference (NC) secured three of the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won one, prompting allegations of betrayal and questions about the integrity of the voting process. This was the first Rajya Sabha election in the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed his disappointment and raised concerns about how the BJP managed to secure a seat despite the NC's expected majority. Taking to X, Abdullah stated that all NC votes remained intact across the four elections, as confirmed by the party's election agent. He questioned the source of the BJP's extra votes and suggested that some MLAs may have deliberately invalidated their votes by marking incorrect preference numbers. "Who were the MLAs who deliberately invalidated their votes by marking a wrong preference number while voting?" Abdullah asked. He also inquired, "Where did the 4 extra votes of the BJP come from?".

The NC's Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan secured a seat with 58 votes, defeating BJP's Ali Mohammad Mir. Sajjad Kichloo and Gurwinder Singh Oberoi also won seats for the NC. The BJP's Sat Sharma secured the fourth seat with 32 votes, defeating NC's Imran Nabi Dar, who received 22 votes.

Abdullah congratulated the winning candidates from his party but also expressed his disappointment that the NC was unable to secure all four seats. "At the same time, my heart goes out to Imran Nabi Dar. We put in our best effort to get him elected but were let down at the last moment," Abdullah stated. He also praised Dar for his "hard-fought effort" and expressed confidence that "other opportunities will open up for him soon".

Celebrations erupted outside the J&K Legislative Assembly Complex as National Conference supporters cheered for Omar Abdullah and the victorious candidates, raising slogans. BJP workers also celebrated their win.

The election marks the end of a four-year vacancy for Jammu and Kashmir's representation in the Rajya Sabha, which has been unrepresented in the Upper House since February 2021.

The NC's victory was attributed to its own numbers in the J&K House, amplified by support from Congress, the PDP, and independent candidates elected in last year's Assembly election. The BJP's win on the fourth Rajya Sabha seat was unexpected, leading to allegations of cross-voting from some INDIA alliance members or Independents who had pledged support to the ruling party.

The Congress and the PDP had offered their support to the NC before the election, though not without expressing some reservations about the ruling party's political conduct.