SRINAGAR: After a gap of four and a half years, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday set the process in motion for electing four Rajya Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir, triggering an intense political contest between the ruling National Conference-led alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Three separate notifications were issued by Legislative Assembly Secretary Manoj Kumar Pandit, who has been appointed Returning Officer for the polls. The elections are scheduled for October 24 and will be held inside the Legislative Assembly complex in Srinagar during the autumn session of the House, which convenes on October 23.
According to the notifications, candidates can file their nomination papers till October 13, with scrutiny to be held on October 14 and withdrawal of papers permitted till October 16. If required, polling will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on October 24, followed by counting at 5 p.m.
The ECI has instructed that all forms and submissions adhere strictly to the timelines. Each candidate, including those from recognised political parties, must submit a list of ten MLAs as proposers along with their party mandate; failing which, the nomination will be rejected.
This will be the first Rajya Sabha election from Jammu and Kashmir since February 2015, when four members — Ghulam Nabi Azad (then Congress), Shamsher Singh Manhas (BJP), Nazir Ahmad Laway (PDP) and Mir Mohammad Fayaz (PDP) — were elected. All four seats have remained vacant since 2021 due to the absence of a functioning Assembly under central rule.
Now, with the Omar Abdullah-led government completing its first year in office, the contest for the upper house is being seen as a major political test — both for the ruling alliance and the opposition BJP.
In the 90-member Assembly, there are currently 88 eligible voters, as two seats are vacant following Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s decision to vacate Budgam (retaining Ganderbal) and the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana from Nagrota.
The numerical strength clearly favours the National Conference-led alliance, which includes the Congress, CPI(M), and several Independents. The bloc commands the support of about 52 to 53 MLAs, giving it a comfortable majority to claim three of the four seats. The BJP, with 28 MLAs, remains the only other party capable of fielding candidates, and is confident of securing one seat.
National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq confirmed that the Congress had reached out to the party to finalise a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
“There are discussions at that level. We respect that the alliance is intact. The names of the candidates will be announced soon,” he said.
Sadiq added that the NC would field candidates from within Jammu and Kashmir and “no one from outside” would be considered.
The Congress, which fought the 2024 Assembly elections in alliance with the NC, had declined ministerial positions in Omar Abdullah’s government, insisting it would not join the administration until the restoration of statehood.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir leadership left for New Delhi on Monday to finalise its list of probable candidates for the four Rajya Sabha seats.
Party president Sat Sharma and general secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul met BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, the in-charge for JK and Ladakh, before their scheduled meetings with party president J.P. Nadda, national general secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santosh, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Party sources said around 14 names have been shortlisted, including former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Sat Sharma, former state chief Ravinder Raina, and chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi. Other contenders include Dr Darakhshan Andrabi, Rashpaul Verma, Bali Bhagat, and Vibodh Gupta.
According to BJP insiders, the leadership may also consider fielding one prominent leader from an allied party for one of the four seats.
Senior BJP leader Sofi Mohammad Yousuf told reporters in Anantnag that the party would “field candidates for all four Rajya Sabha seats” and was confident of winning two. “Some MLAs from other parties are in touch with us. We will get support beyond our own numbers,” he claimed.
The Rajya Sabha polls will coincide with the by-elections to Budgam and Nagrota Assembly constituencies on November 11, where results are expected on November 14, the same day as the Bihar elections.
The Budgam seat was vacated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, while the Nagrota seat fell vacant following the death of BJP leader Devender Singh Rana. The BJP is likely to field Devyani Rana, the late leader’s daughter, while Nand Kishore Sharma, brother of MP Jugal Kishore, is also lobbying for the ticket.
In Budgam, Nasir Aslam Wani, a close aide of Omar Abdullah, is seen as the likely NC candidate, while the PDP is expected to field Aga Syed Muntazir.
The Rajya Sabha elections, however, will serve as the first formal test of legislative strength for both blocs since the formation of the new government. For Omar Abdullah’s NC-Congress alliance, it is an opportunity to consolidate its dominance in the Assembly, while for the BJP, it marks the beginning of a new strategy to regain political ground in the Union Territory.
As one senior political analyst in Srinagar put it, “The Rajya Sabha elections will be more than a numbers game — they will reveal the new political geometry of J&K after statehood became the defining line of alliances.”
