Overview

• People’s Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone said he will skip voting on October 24 and will not support National Conference candidates, intensifying the battle for the final seat.
• Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urged all non-BJP parties to back the National Conference slate, warning that staying away from the ballot would help the BJP, a claim Lone rejected.
• After Congress declined what it called an unsafe berth, the National Conference named Imran Nabi Dar as its fourth nominee, while the BJP fielded Sat Sharma, Ali Mohammad Mir and Rakesh Mahajan.
• The effective voting strength has fallen with AAP MLA Mehraj Malik detained under the Public Safety Act, and the Election Commission’s split notifications raise winning thresholds to 45 votes for a single-seat contest and 30 for a two-seat round.
• Based on assembly arithmetic, the NC-led bloc is on track for three seats, while the BJP’s Sat Sharma could capture the fourth if additional non-BJP MLAs abstain or cross-vote.