Srinagar, Oct 24 (JKNS): The voting for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir concluded on Friday with a 100% turnout of participating legislators, including AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, who exercised his franchise through postal ballot from detention.
According to news agency JKNS, the polling process remained peaceful throughout the day and was officially closed at 4:00 PM. Out of the total 88-member Assembly, People’s Conference (PC) chief Sajad Gani Lone chose to abstain from voting, maintaining his party’s neutral position.
With National Conference (NC) enjoying support from the Congress, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), CPI(M), and several independents, the INDIA bloc holds a numerical advantage of 58 votes, placing it in a strong position to sweep all four Rajya Sabha seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with around 28 votes, faces an uphill task and can only make a breakthrough in the event of cross-voting within the opposition ranks.
Meanwhile, the People’s Conference’s abstention is being interpreted by political observers as a strategic move to stay away from factional blame or controversy surrounding potential cross-voting.(JKNS)
