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Mehbooba Mufti announced that PDP will support the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference in the crucial Rajya Sabha election on October 24.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti | File Image/PTI
In a major development, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday announced that her party will support the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
“We held a meeting with the party legislators ahead of the crucial Rajya Sabha election. I had a telephonic conversation with Dr Farooq Abdullah over the issue and had told him that we are ready to support if they support our bills on land ownership of both tribals and hotels,” Mufti told reporters today.
The PDP had earlier insisted on NC’s support for its bills for land rights and regularisation of daily wagers in the assembly as a condition for offering support to the ruling party in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Mufti said the PDP will cast all votes for the third seat contested by NC leader Shammi Oberoi, but won’t vote for the fourth seat. “NC cannot be trusted, but our goal is bigger. To protect the rights of Jammu and Kashmir, and because the INDIA alliance is fighting a very serious battle today, we have decided to vote for them,” she said at the presser.
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti says, “They’re (National Conference) not worthy of trust, of even voting for them. But because our goal is greater…to work together to protect the rights of Jammu and Kashmir, and because the INDIA Alliance is fighting a very… pic.twitter.com/dyVrMbXysO— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2025
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly session is scheduled to start on October 23, and the biennial elections to fill the four Rajya Sabha seats of the union territory, lying vacant since 2021, will be held on October 24. The National Conference (NC) has fielded candidates for all four Rajya Sabha seats and is poised to win three, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident about winning the fourth seat.
The NC currently has 41 seats in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir, while the BJP has 28 seats. The Congress has six MLAs and the PDP three. Mufti earlier said former CM Farooq Abdullah had approached her, seeking support for the government.
Cracks appeared between the Congress and NC after both parties failed to reach a consensus on seat-sharing. The Congress refused the NC’s proposal to jointly contest all four Rajya Sabha seats. The NC offered the fourth seat to Congress, but the party refused to field a candidate. Meanwhile, J&K People’s Conference chairman and MLA Sajad Gani Lone, a fierce critique of Omar Abdullah, has already announced that his party would abstain from voting in the elections.
Furthermore, by-elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam and Nagrota on November 11. The last date for filing nominations was October 20, and the final date for withdrawal of candidatures is October 24. The counting of votes will take place on November 14.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
Srinagar, India, India
October 23, 2025, 16:29 IST
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