7 MLAs ditched ruling alliance candidate to help BJP win

Srinagar, Oct 24: In an outcome that has brought seven party-affiliated MLAs and independents in Jammu & Kashmir under scrutiny, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to win the fourth Rajya Sabha seat due to cross-voting by four MLAs and the “deliberate” cancellation of votes by three others.
In a result keenly watched across Kashmir, BJP candidate Sat Pal Sharma secured 32 votes-four more than the official strength of the BJP-indicating that four MLAs from the ruling alliance or its supporters voted in his favour. The second winner on the seat, Shammi Oberoi, polled 31 votes.
National Conference (NC) candidate Imran Nabi Dar, who had the assured support of 28 to 29 MLAs, managed to secure only 21 votes-seven to eight fewer than expected.
The NC’s two candidates had the backing of 58 MLAs: 41 from NC, six from Congress, seven independents, three PDP MLAs, and one from CPI(M)—a tally sufficient to win both the third and fourth seats.
The cross-voting has put the spotlight on the role of authorized polling agents appointed by political parties to verify the votes of their MLAs.
As per rules, an elector (MLA) who is a member of a political party is required to show the marked ballot paper to the authorized agent of that party for verification before placing it in the ballot box.
Sources said that all political parties, except the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had appointed authorized polling agents to verify the marked votes of their MLAs.
They also revealed that Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat, who was the party’s authorised polling agent, cast his vote without a substitute agent present.
When contacted, Bhat said, “I was the chief polling agent, and I had to show my vote to myself.”
The cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha polls is expected to trigger a war of words between political parties and could become a major issue in Jammu and Kashmir’s political landscape in the coming days.
Sources within the NC claimed that PDP MLAs were instructed to vote for Imran Nabi Dar instead of Shammi Oberoi. “They had agreed to it,” a senior NC leader disclosed.
Unlike independents, MLAs belonging to political parties are required to display their marked votes to authorized polling agents before depositing them in the ballot box. (KNO)