New Delhi, April 20: The BJP has suspended seven of its 11 MLAs in Jammu and Kashmir for voting against the party’s official candidates in last week’s election to the legislative council.

The MLAs have been asked to show cause why they should not be expelled from the party.

The National Conference-Congress ruling coalition won five of the six seats to which elections were held while the Opposition PDP won the sixth.

The suspended legislators include the leader of the legislature party and RSS veteran Chaman Lal Gupta.

Sources said Gupta’s son, Anil — reportedly a friend and business associate of the PDP candidate from Jammu Bharat Bhushan Gupta — had cajoled some of the party’s MLAs to defy the whip and vote against official candidate Thakur Ranjit Singh, who polled only four votes.

In the Kashmir seats, the BJP’s nominee Mohammad Amin War secured 10 votes with one MLA cross-voting.