High drama erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday as National Conference (NC) legislators raised slogans of “Vote Chor! Vote Chor!”, a phrase popularised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to accuse the BJP of manipulating elections, directing their anger toward the treasury benches over the recent Rajya Sabha polls.
The uproar began during Question Hour after the Deputy Chief Minister remarked, “Let us keep secrets, we know who has done what.” His comment provoked loud protests from NC lawmakers, who stood up chanting “Vote Chor!” in unison, accusing the saffron party of “stealing votes.”
Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) acts in favour of the BJP, accusing it of turning a blind eye to irregularities and helping the ruling party “win without a mandate.” NC members appeared to echo that sentiment inside the Assembly, claiming that the BJP’s Rajya Sabha victory in J&K was another example of “vote theft aided by bias.”
The ruckus briefly disrupted proceedings before the Speaker restored order.NC legislators were referring to the recent Rajya Sabha election in which BJP candidate Sat Sharma won the fourth seat despite the party having only 28 MLAs in the Assembly. Sharma secured 32 votes, four more than the BJP’s strength, prompting allegations of cross-voting and back-room bargaining.
As the session resumed, NC leaders continued to demand an inquiry into the alleged manipulation, saying the BJP had “imported Delhi’s style of vote chori into Jammu Kashmir.” The issue of cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections echoed in the Legislative Assembly on Monday during the question hour.During the question hour, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stealing four votes in the recent Rajya Sabha elections. “Yesterday, you stole four votes. If I start speaking, no one will remain seated here. Let us s allow a secret to remain a secret,” Choudhary said.
His remarks sparked a heated exchange between the two sides, with NC legislators retaliating by calling BJP members “vote chor” (vote stealers).Amid the slogans and counter-slogans, Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone accused both NC and BJP of collusion. “It was match-fixing,” Lone alleged.
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