Jammu And Kashmir Votes For Four Rajya Sabha Seats Amid First Poll Since Article 370 Abrogation

Voting commenced on Friday for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first such election since the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union territories in August 2019. According to PTI, the polling is being conducted within the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly complex.

The Election Commission of India had issued three separate notifications for the four seats, with elections for two seats held individually, while the remaining two are being contested under a common notification.

In the first seat, Chowdhury Mohammed Ramzan of the National Conference (NC) is pitted against Ali Mohammed Mir of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). For the second seat, NC’s Sajjad Kitchloo is facing BJP candidate Rakesh Mahajan. Under the third notification, NC has fielded party treasurer G S Oberoi, also known as Shammi Oberoi, and young state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar against BJP’s Sat Sharma.

PTI reported that both the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) issued three-line whips to their MLAs on Thursday, ensuring their presence to vote for the ruling party candidates. The PDP and Congress have declared support for the NC candidates.

With the NC’s 41-member strength in the Assembly, supported by six Congress, three PDP, one CPM MLA, and six Independents, PTI noted that the party is likely to secure three of the four seats, while the fourth seat remains closely contested. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has a total strength of 88 MLAs, with the NC-led coalition and PDP holding 57 members.

The BJP, with 28 MLAs, fielded its Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Sat Sharma under the third notification. According to PTI, Sharma gained an advantage after the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), led by Sajad Gani Lone, announced last week that its members would abstain from the elections.

The NC has expressed confidence of winning all four seats. PTI reported that the Union territory, allocated four Rajya Sabha seats, has been unrepresented in the Upper House since February 2021, when Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway completed their terms. Two other members, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas, concluded their terms on February 10 of the same year.

(With inputs from PTI)