Jammu, Oct 6: The nomination process for biennial elections to four vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir was set in motion on Monday with the issuance of three separate “notices of election” by the Secretary, J&K Legislative Assembly.
Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly Manoj Kumar Pandit is the Returning Officer for the biennial election to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
As per the first notice, the election is to be held by the elected Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to fill the vacancy in that House caused by the retirement of Mir Muhammad Fayaz on February 10, 2021, on the expiration of his term of office.
As per the Returning officer, the nomination papers may be delivered by a candidate or by any of his proposers to him (Returning Officer) or to the Assistant Returning Officer (Additional Secretary, J&K Legislative Assembly) at their offices situated in the premises of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Secretariat, Srinagar between 11 am and 3 pm on any day (other than public holiday) not later than October 13, 2025.
Second Notice relates to the election to fill the vacancy in Rajya Sabha caused due to the retirement of Shamsher Singh on February 10, 2021, on the expiration of his term of office.
Third notice pertains to the election to fill the vacancies caused due to the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway on February 15, 2021, on the expiration of their term of office.
The nomination papers will be taken up for scrutiny at the office of the Returning Officer (Assembly Secretary) in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Secretariat, Srinagar, on October 14, 2025, at 11 am. The candidature can be withdrawn either by a candidate or by any of his proposers, or by his authorised election agent, before 3 pm on October 16, 2025.
In the event of an election being contested, the poll will be taken on October 24, 2025, between 9 am and 4 pm.
On September 24, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the election schedule for these elections.
These seats have been lying vacant since 2021, when the term of office of 4 members elected from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir expired on their retirement.
However, the elections to these vacant seats could not be conducted due to the non-availability of the required electorate (Members of J&K Legislative Assembly) at the time of occurrence of these vacancies.
Now, almost a year after the conduct of J&K assembly elections, the ECI notified the schedule and set the process in motion.
FLURRY OF POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
Though the ECI announcement had triggered a flurry of activities in the political corridors yet the key players – National Conference (NC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress (being alliance partner of NC) so far did not finalise their candidates.
The BJP core group meeting deliberated on the issue on October 4. It announced that the party would contest on all four seats.
J&K BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi, while explaining ‘probability theory’, even stated, “We will contest on all four seats. However, we will be seriously fighting against three seats with the intent to win.”
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra, in response to queries of Greater Kashmir about his party’s negotiations with the alliance partner, stated, “The party (leadership) might be having some informal talks, but the formal (process of negotiations) has yet to follow. Soon it will start.”
At what level this negotiation process is going on, his response to this question was precise: “At a good level.”
He has asserted that the AICC special observer Digvijay Singh, who has the “mandate of talking at a good level.”
“He (Digvijay Singh) might have talked. But there is no schedule of Singh (regarding his visit) with me.” Karra said.
The JKPCC president stated that so far, no panel of candidates was recommended to the party leadership, as notification was awaited.
“Now, as the notification has been issued, the process of internal discussions within the party will also start. So far, all the names you have been hearing or reading are in the realm of speculation. So far, there are no names that have been empanelled till now. Even the Budgam and Nagrota by-poll issue has to be discussed yet,” Karra said.
NC has 41 MLAs, and five independent MLAs are also supporting it. AAP MLA (presently detained under PSA) though recently announced to withdraw its support to NC, yet in the changed circumstances, may again join alliance ranks.
CPI-M MLA and 6 Congress MLAs are part of the alliance.
BJP has only 28 MLAs, while two seats are vacant.
