Srinagar, Apr 28: The Peoples Democratic Party did not appoint authorised agents to verify how its MLAs voted in the 2025 Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a reply obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The disclosure comes amid controversy over the 2025 Rajya Sabha polls, which witnessed cross-voting that enabled the Bharatiya Janata Party to win a seat.
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According to the RTI reply issued by the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the J&K Assembly Secretariat, seven authorised agents were appointed by three political parties during the elections.
These included four agents from the National Conference, two from the BJP, and one from the Indian National Congress.
The RTI response stated that no other authorised agents were appointed, making it clear that the PDP, which had three MLAs in the Assembly at the time, did not nominate any agents.
As per Rule 39AA of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, legislators belonging to political parties must show their marked ballot papers to the party’s authorised agent before placing them in the ballot box.
The rules further state that if a legislator refuses to show the marked ballot paper, the vote is cancelled and not counted.
The disclosure has raised questions over why the PDP, which had contested previous Rajya Sabha elections and sent three members to the Upper House in the past, did not appoint authorised agents this time.
Questions have also been raised over the Indian National Congress, which appointed only one authorised agent.
According to the RTI reply, Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat, who was himself the authorised agent, could not have shown his own marked ballot paper to another party agent, as no second agent had been appointed.
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In the Rajya Sabha elections, eight MLAs who had pledged support to the ruling National Conference reportedly voted in a manner that helped the BJP secure one seat despite lacking the required numbers. (KNO)
