NC MLAs raise ‘vote chori’ slogans in J&K Assembly

Srinagar, Oct 27: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes after National Conference (NC) legislators shouted ‘Vote chor! Vote chor!’ while pointing towards the opposition benches, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of manipulating votes in the recently held Rajya Sabha elections.

The uproar began during the Question Hour when Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary made a veiled remark about the cross-voting that took place during the upper house polls. “Yesterday, you stole four votes. If I start speaking, no one will remain seated here. Let us allow a secret to remain a secret,” Choudhary said, triggering a sharp reaction from BJP members.

The comment immediately led to chaos in the House.

BJP legislators protested strongly, while NC MLAs stood up, shouting “Vote chor! Vote chor!” in unison, accusing the saffron party of “stealing votes” to win the fourth Rajya Sabha seat.

The commotion forced the Speaker to intervene and restore order.

The heated exchange was in reference to the recent Rajya Sabha elections for four seats, where the NC bagged three seats, while the BJP managed to clinch one seat.

The controversy stems from the results showing BJP’s candidate Sat Sharma securing 31 votes, despite the party having only 28 MLAs in the Assembly.

In contrast, NC’s Imran Nabi Dar, who was in the fray for the fourth seat, managed to secure only 21 votes, sparking allegations of cross-voting and political manipulation.

Amid the shouting match, Peoples Conference (PC) President Sajad Gani Lone accused both NC and BJP of being hand-in-glove during the elections.

“It was match fixing,” Lone said on the floor of the House, alleging that both parties had colluded behind closed doors despite their public rivalry.

The Speaker repeatedly called for order, reminding members to maintain decorum, but the heated slogans and countercharges continued for several minutes before normalcy was restored.