Srinagar, October 24: The ruling National Conference (NC) won three of the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, but the party’s plan to make a clean sweep was upset by one man — BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Kumar Sharma.
The results, declared late on Thursday, saw Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Sajad Kichloo, and G.S. (Shammi) Oberoi of the NC elected to the Upper House, while the BJP’s Sat Sharma clinched the fourth seat by securing 32 votes. His NC rival Imran Nabi Dar managed 22 votes, despite the ruling alliance having a clear numerical advantage.
According to party insiders, Sharma’s quiet but calculated political manoeuvres over the past two weeks turned the tide in the BJP’s favour. The NC-led alliance, backed by the Congress, PDP, and independent MLAs, had been confident of capturing all four seats until the final round of voting.
However, cross-voting and the intentional cancellation of around 7–8 ballots shifted the balance, paving the way for the BJP’s victory — only its second-ever Rajya Sabha seat from Jammu and Kashmir.
“The NC’s loss on the fourth seat is a political embarrassment,” said a senior party functionary. “We had done our arithmetic right, but something changed in the last 24 hours.”
Interviews with nearly a dozen MLAs from various parties suggest that Sharma personally reached out to independents and disgruntled legislators through a series of discreet meetings in Srinagar.
“He held late-night discussions with a few MLAs at locations along Airport Road, Hyderpora, and Gupkar,” said a source familiar with the developments. “He avoided his official residence on Church Lane to keep the meetings off the radar.”
A senior BJP leader described Sharma as “a shrewd organiser” who maintains cordial relations across party lines but never lets those ties blur his political focus.
“He has friends everywhere,” the leader said, “but he is a friend to none when it comes to strategy.”
Political observers said Sharma’s ability to work quietly while shaping perceptions in the open — including his visible outreach during the first day of the autumn session — helped consolidate the BJP’s position ahead of the crucial vote.
The upset has rattled the NC leadership, which had expected to replicate its 2009 Rajya Sabha sweep. Instead, Sharma’s behind-the-scenes operation ensured that the BJP walked away with a symbolic yet significant victory, reinforcing its presence in Jammu and Kashmir’s political arena.
