No complaints with Rajya Sabha result but NC faced ‘betrayal’ from some quarters, says Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said that while the National Conference (NC) had no complaints about the 3–1 outcome in the recent Rajya Sabha elections, the party faced “betrayal from some quarters” during Friday’s polling.

The NC, part of the INDIA bloc, secured three seats, while the BJP won one of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar said the NC had aimed to win all four seats but fell short due to unexpected defections at the final stage. “No one should complain about 3-1, but we tried our best for 4-0. As I said in my post on X, we were betrayed by some quarters at the last stage. Everyone now knows who they are, so I don’t think it’s necessary to repeat their names,” he said.

Friday’s voting saw the BJP’s winning candidate, Sat Sharma, secure 32 votes, including four from outside the party.

Omar thanked the Congress and other allies who supported the NC but expressed disappointment at those who, he claimed, sided with the BJP despite attending NC meetings.

“I am satisfied that not a single vote of the National Conference was wasted. All the voters showed their polling slips to our chief agent. And not a single vote of the NC was wasted.

“Our only regret is that some people who joined our meetings and ate our food secretly helped the BJP. They should have had the courage to say openly that they wanted to support the BJP,” he said.

Taking a swipe at People’s Conference (PC) chief Sajad Lone, “Our MLA from Handwara did not want to vote against the BJP. Now he is making big reels like a professor. On the basis of his helplessness, he did not want to harm the BJP. So he openly boycotted the election and abstained,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, NC president Farooq Abdullah rejected allegations from the PC that the NC “gifted” votes to the BJP or struck a “fixed match.” “If we had gifted votes, how would our fourth candidate get 21 votes? The BJP did approach us, saying, ‘You take three seats and leave one for us.’ But we refused,” Farooq said.

He expressed gratitude to Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP, the Congress, and Independent MLAs who supported the NC during the election. “All our MLAs stood united. Not a single one broke ranks. The media wrote there was no unity, but we proved them wrong,” Farooq added.

Omar said the NC’s newly elected Rajya Sabha MPs would focus on restoration of statehood and special status, along with other issues concerning the people of J&K. “Our MPs will raise not only the demand for statehood but also the Assembly’s resolution on special status and constitutional guarantees,” he said.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma claimed that the BJP managed to get seven votes from outside support—four directly for its candidate and three through rejected ballots, which also aided its victory.

“We expected this support, as there is growing dissatisfaction among MLAs, particularly within the NC. Many are unhappy with the state government and are looking for an alternative,” Sharma said.