SRINAGAR: The controversy over alleged cross-voting in the October Rajya Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir has intensified after an RTI reply revealed that the PDP had not appointed authorised agents, with the ruling NC citing this to accuse PDP MLAs of backing the BJP, while the saffron party countered that NC members had cross-voted in its favour.
On October 24, 2025 RS polls for four vacant seats in J&K was conducted and NC, despite enjoying the backing of 59 members, won only three seats and unexpectedly lost the 4th seat to BJP.
NC candidate Imran Nabi Dar, who contested for the fourth seat, was defeated by BJP’s J&K president Sat Sharma. Sharma secured 32 votes, four more than BJP’s tally of 28 votes, while three votes were declared invalid. Imran polled only 21 votes.
An RTI reply to a query has revealed that PDP, which had three MLAs at time of the Rajya Sabha polls, did not appoint authorised agents for the RS elections.
According to the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of J&K Assembly Secretariat, seven authorised agents were appointed by three political parties, four by the National Conference, two by BJP and one by Congress, to verify votes cast by their respective party members in J&K Assembly.
As per the RTI reply, other than NC, BJP and Congress, no application for appointing counting or authorised agents was received during the RS election.
Under Rule 39AA of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, authorised agents are allowed to verify ballots cast by their party’s legislators before they are deposited in the ballot box, a provision intended to ensure adherence to party whips.
After the RTI revelation, NC spokesman and losing RS candidate Imran Nabi Dar alleged that cross voters in J&K Rajya Sabha were exposed.
“Now the question is what made @jkpdp MLAs vote for @BJP4India candidate Sat Sharma. This, after they had promised publicly that they will vote for NC," Imran said in a post on X.
Imran alleged that possible explanations of cross-voting by PDP MLAs include money & access to power corridors; promise of perks, ease of living; traditional allegiance with BJP and urge to betray people of J&K.
“It is now clear - not through statements by our party or political commentary, but through the Right to Information Act - that the source of the BJP’s votes has been revealed,” NC said in a statement.
However, PDP spokesman Mohit Bhan defended the party saying, “PDP didn’t even field a candidate. Agents are appointed by candidates, not parties. We have 4 MLAs, and since none of ours contested, appointing agents isn’t our mandate”.
He said PDP had not fielded any candidate in the Rajya Sabha election and had extended unconditional support to NC candidate. “In such a scenario, the question of PDP appointing polling agents simply does not arise”.
But Imran countered saying Congress also didn’t field any candidate, yet they still appointed a polling agent in the RS elections.
“When a registered/recognised political party issues a whip to its members, regardless of their numbers, it is mandatory to appoint a polling agent who ensures that MLAs follow the party whip,” he said. “We trusted you, but you betrayed not just us but the people of Kashmir and aligned yourself with a party that robbed us of our special rights.”
“In a contest of such significance, the absence of a polling agent from a major political party is not just negligence, it's criminal and raises serious questions on PDPs claim of being a pro Kashmiri party. The outcome, where the BJP secured the seat despite lacking the required numbers, now appears far from coincidental,” Imran said.
“The mask has now fallen. The people can clearly see who stands where,” Imran said and asked PDP leadership to come clean before the public instead of resorting to what he termed as political theatrics.
J&K BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur came in support of PDP and alleged that those who voted in favour of the BJP in the RS polls were from NC. “They voted for BJP because of the wrong policies of NC and not fulfilling of promises by NC government”.
He said PDP could not have supported BJP as both parties have completely different ideologies. “Their ideology is Pakistan ideology while BJP policy is nation first and national security first”.
“For what should the PDP have appointed polling agent. They had only three MLAs and none of them was contesting the polls,” Thakur said.
People Conference chairman and MLA Sajjad Lone, who boycotted RS polls, also chipped in, saying, “I remember in 2015 I cast my vote in Rajya Sabha. Our party did not have a candidate but the ruling alliance requested us to have an agent of their choice. The said person was a non MLA and checked my vote and that of my colleague and fellow MLA “.
“It seems highly improbable that PDP or NC did not know the rules. Appointment of agents is the most important step in these elections,” he said.
“There is no ambiguity. And a party can appoint an agent, whether the party fields a candidate or not. The only time when you can’t appoint agent is when the party does not want to appoint an agent,” Lone said.
According to him, NC did not insist on appointment of agents and PDP simply did not appoint agents hints at a much bigger spread in match fixing. “And that BJP could not have won the Rajya Sabha seat without the support of NC and PDP.”
As the RIT reply has again generated debate on cross voting, everybody wants to know the identities of seven MLAs who cross voted and invalidated their votes.
Whether the names of MLAs who facilitated BJP’s surprise victory will ever be made public continues to be a million dollar question.