People Deserve to Know Who Cross-Voted”: Ruhullah Challenges Omar Abdullah’s Silence
By: Javid Amin | 26 October 2025
Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, the National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament known for his blunt style, publicly demanded full disclosure from party chief Omar Abdullah on Friday, escalating internal tensions after the controversial Rajya Sabha vote that handed the BJP one seat beyond its legislative strength.
“If you know who cross-voted, say it. People deserve to know. Silence is complicity,” Ruhullah wrote on social media in response to Omar’s earlier statement claiming all NC votes remained intact.
Ruhullah’s intervention came hours after Omar Abdullah told reporters that NC polling agents had confirmed every party MLA voted as per the whip. Omar had stopped short of naming any defectors, instead blaming “outside” forces for the extra votes that pushed BJP candidate Sat Paul Sharma to 32 — four more than the party’s numerical strength of 28.
Ruhullah said that withholding names from the public amounted to a breach of trust. “From Omar’s statement, it’s clear he knows who did the cross-voting but chooses not to reveal the names. That’s a betrayal of public trust,” he told journalists. “If the leadership is aware of the betrayal, it should be transparent — not protect those who broke their commitments.”
His remarks are the latest manifestation of a deepening rift within the NC that already includes public criticism from MP Mian Altaf Ahmad and other senior voices. Ruhullah’s demand — simple and stark — places pressure on the party to either produce hard evidence or to explain why it is choosing discretion over disclosure.
Political analysts say Ruhullah’s call for transparency intensifies the dilemma facing Omar Abdullah. Naming defectors could permanently fracture fragile alliances with Congress, PDP, and independents; not naming them risks eroding public confidence and feeds narratives of impunity.
“Ruhullah has forced Omar’s hand politically,” said Dr. Hilal Ahmed, a Srinagar-based analyst. “The choice is painful either way: reveal and risk collapsing coalition politics; conceal and lose moral high ground.”
Behind the drama lies a raw arithmetic puzzle. With NC holding 41 MLAs and pledged support from Congress, PDP and several independents, the slate looked secure for NC candidates. Yet the BJP’s unexpected extra votes — and a handful of reported invalid ballots — shifted the fourth seat. Omar has implied that some ballots may have been deliberately spoilt; Ruhullah’s demand implies he wants the party to trace accountability publicly.
Congress and PDP leaders have so far been guarded. A Congress spokesperson reiterated the party’s commitment to opposition unity but declined to comment on Ruhullah’s demand. PDP sources, speaking off the record, said the party had offered conditional support to NC and would respond carefully to any public accusations.
For NC, the unfolding episode is damaging at two levels: it publicly exposes internal dissent ahead of critical by-polls and it hands BJP a potent narrative about opposition disunity. For Ruhullah, the gamble is reputational — he positions himself as a crusader for accountability, but risks isolation if the party chooses collective discipline over public naming.
As pressure mounts, political watchers say the most likely outcomes are: (a) a closed internal inquiry and a face-saving statement from NC leadership, or (b) a public naming that could trigger immediate political fallout and re-alignment ahead of the 2026 electoral cycle.
Either way, Ruhullah has ensured that the Rajya Sabha story is far from over.
