In a stinging rebuke to the National Conference (NC) amid the controversy over yesterday’s Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, incarcerated MLA from Doda, Mehraj Malik, has alleged that the party was never serious about securing the fourth seat and that some of its leaders were “already compromised” in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Releasing an official statement through his personal assistant on Saturday, Malik, who is currently lodged in jail, asserted that despite casting his vote for the NC candidate from behind bars—without any prior outreach from the party—he is now facing “shameless” questioning from its leaders. “Even after casting my vote for the NC from jail without them ever reaching out or making the slightest effort to seek my support, I am now being questioned by some of their leaders. This is the absolute height of shamelessness,” Malik stated.
The Doda MLA, representing the Aam Aadmi Party, emphasised that his decision to support the NC was driven by “the larger interests of Jammu & Kashmir,” in the belief that his vote could tip the scales. However, he claimed to have realised post-poll that the NC’s internal dynamics were undermined by defections. “Unfortunately, now I realised that some among them were already compromised and had decided to side with the BJP,” he said, pointing to cross-voting by four MLAs that enabled BJP’s Satish Sharma to clinch the contested seat with 32 votes against the NC’s Imran Nabi Dar’s 22, as reported by The Chenab Times earlier.
Malik’s statement comes a day after the polls, in which the NC-led alliance secured three of the four Rajya Sabha seats but lost the fourth in a surprise upset attributed by party chief Omar Abdullah to “betrayal” within the ranks. The MLA went further to question the NC’s strategy, accusing it of hypocrisy in its anti-BJP posturing. “Today, their actions and statements only expose their hypocrisy and double standards. Those pretending to be anti-BJP are the same ones proving their friendship with Sat Sharma,” he remarked, referring to the victorious BJP candidate.
In a pointed critique of the NC’s candidate selection, Malik alleged that fielding a Muslim nominee from the Nagrota constituency—a BJP stronghold—was a calculated move to bolster the ruling party’s position in Jammu. “Moreover, by fielding a Muslim candidate from Nagrota, the National Conference is only helping the BJP to consolidate its position, a move that clearly shows where their true loyalties lie,” he observed.
The remarks underscore deepening fissures within the fragile opposition alliances in the Union Territory, even as the NC has vowed to investigate the cross-voting episode. Malik concluded on a reflective note, urging the people of Jammu and Kashmir to discern the “political drama” at play. “The people of Jammu & Kashmir can now see through this political drama. History will remember who truly stood firm and who surrendered for personal gains,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha elections, the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, have reignited debates on coalition loyalties and electoral integrity in the region.
The Chenab Times News Desk