Srinagar, Oct 25 (KNS) : J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Saturday delivered a searing critique of the Rajya Sabha elections, asserting that the outcome laid bare a pre-arranged understanding between the BJP and the National Conference, terming it a "fixed match".

“Debates may have winners and losers and those outcomes can be debated, but mathematics is absolute. Two plus two always equals four. Yesterday, it was proven beyond doubt that there was a fixed arrangement between BJP and NC: ‘You take one, we take the other,’” Lone declared.

Breaking down the arithmetic, he observed that candidate number three needed 28.1 votes to secure victory. “Anyone with basic mathematical understanding knows that 29 votes would have sufficed. Yet 31 votes were cast by NC members, with an additional rejected vote from an NC member ensuring favoring the candidate. This surplus ensured that candidate number four had no chance to win, even if the cross-voting had not occurred,” he explained.

Reflecting on his own restraint, Lone said, “I am grateful I abstained from voting. Had I participated, all fingers would have been pointed at me. The truth is unambiguous: NC orchestrated the outcome of RS elections in J&K themselves to aid BJP.”

He further highlighted the manipulation surrounding the Congress seat. “Seats were never genuinely offered to Congress. Officially, seat number four was presented to them as Omar Abdullah bragged that "we have offered them seat number four, let them contest" but NC ensured it was a setup for their defeat. Congress could have mustered only around 21 votes. We had already indicated that if Congress had contested seat number three, we would have supported them—not due to any leaning, but because they are a national party and could have advocated issues of Kashmiri people better.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel”

On the issue of cross-voting, Lone added, “NC members effectively gifted votes to BJP. Rejected votes were deliberate, not accidental. This was a calculated, coordinated maneuver with Delhi, leaving no space for a fair contest," he said.

He stated that, even in the past, giving a historical perspective, NC Rajya Sabha members refrained from taking any extraordinary measures, being consistently preoccupied with trivial personal matters rather than safeguarding the people’s mandate.

Addressing the newly elected RS members, Lone warned, “From day one, their priority will be gaining private access to the Prime Minister or Home Minister. Their approach will be appeasement of Delhi, not representation of Kashmiris. They will advocate harsher measures while shedding crocodile tears here before the people.”

Drawing a historical parallel, Lone recalled, “This is precisely how Article 370 was abrogated, through backroom visits and hidden deals in Delhi. History repeats itself when such manipulations go unchecked. People must awaken and recognize where their votes truly go. It cannot be allowed that BJP secures win for their preferred party while the publicly abuse them as part of a gimmick.”

He concluded emphatically, “This election was a fixed match, exposed in full view. Our message to the people is clear that they must remain vigilant, informed and never allow manipulation to decide the future of Jammu and Kashmir.”(KNS)