Three BJP Candidates File Nominations For J&K Rajya Sabha Polls

Three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates on Monday officially submitted their nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, where four seats are up for grabs. The BJP is contesting three of those seats, PTI reported. 

The nominations were filed by BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president Sat Sharma, along with Ali Mohammad Mir and Rakesh Mahajan. The trio submitted their papers before Manoj Kumar Pandita, Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and the designated returning officer for the election.

They were accompanied by Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh, and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Ali Khatana, among other senior party members.

Speaking to the media, senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, confirmed that the party had put forward candidates for three of the four seats. He expressed confidence, saying the party would make every effort to secure all three positions.

“We are committed to winning all three seats we’re contesting,” Sharma stated.

Earlier in the day, the BJP candidates departed from the party headquarters in Jawahar Nagar, leading a procession towards the returning officer’s office. They were joined by several BJP MLAs and prominent leaders from across the Valley.

The Election Commission of India has issued three separate notifications for the Rajya Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Elections for two of the seats are being held individually, while the remaining two are grouped under a joint notification.

With the Assembly currently having an effective strength of 88 MLAs, and the BJP holding 28 of those seats, the party is well-positioned to secure at least one seat. However, winning additional seats would require support from non-BJP legislators, either through cross-voting or abstention during the joint-seat voting.

With PTI inputs