Overview

• People’s Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone said he will not support National Conference candidates and will abstain from the October 24 Rajya Sabha elections.
• Reporting places the NC-led bloc at about 53 MLAs versus the BJP’s 28, making three NC wins likely and leaving the fourth seat dependent on a smaller pool of swing or non-voting legislators.
• BJP nominee Sat Sharma’s prospects improve with Lone’s move, as he is now seen needing roughly three non-BJP MLAs to abstain or back him to capture the fourth seat.
• NC fielded candidates for all four seats after seat-sharing with Congress collapsed, with Congress declining to contest what was described as a risky fourth slot as accusations flew over alleged NC-BJP alignment.
• Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the vote a “true test” of parties’ stance on the BJP and urged PDP, AIP and PC to support NC, warning that abstentions would aid the BJP as factors like a detained AAP MLA could also affect the count.