Sat Sharma gets 4 votes beyond BJP strength, sparks cross-voting buzz

Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Sharma on Friday won the fourth Rajya Sabha seat from the Union Territory, securing 32 votes—four more than the BJP’s total strength of 28 MLAs.

The result came as a surprise to many political observers, as the Congress, PDP, and several independent legislators had earlier announced their support for the National Conference (NC) candidate. Sharma’s victory was celebrated by the BJP as a “defeat of regional politics.”

Soon after the results were declared, several political leaders raised questions about how the BJP candidate managed to secure four votes above the party’s strength. Possible cross-voting by independents and legislators outside the BJP fold is believed to have played a decisive role in Sharma’s win.

The BJP had fielded Sat Sharma against Imran Nabi Dar of the NC for the fourth seat. On Wednesday, the PDP, with its three MLAs, and the Congress, with six, had announced their backing for the NC in an attempt to consolidate votes against BJP.

Sat Sharma, a senior BJP leader and former legislator from Jammu West (2014–2018), was appointed the party’s J&K president last year. He had earlier served as the BJP’s state chief between 2015 and 2018.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, had earlier alleged that the NC leadership did not trust its own MLAs, claiming the party had made its legislators “swear on religious texts” to ensure loyalty.

“The Abdullah and Mufti families want to cling to their political relevance in J&K, especially in the Valley. They cannot tolerate the rise of any common citizen in the corridors of power. The very idea of a new political face emerging here is unacceptable to them,” Sunil Sharma said.

Senior leaders of the INDI alliance had asserted that unity among the parties remained essential to counter BJP in electoral battles.

Reacting to Sharma’s victory, BJP spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan said it was not only a severe political setback to the “Gupkar Alliance” but also proved that the elected legislators of Jammu and Kashmir stand firmly with the politics of development, stability and nationalism.

Rattan said despite the BJP having only 28 legislators, Sat Sharma secured 32 votes and achieved victory, “It is a clear reflection of the complete trust that both the people and their representatives have in BJP’s policies,” he said.

“This result proves that J&K’s politics has now risen above caste and regional boundaries, and that people are voting purely on the issues of development and good governance,” he added.