Talks Of Secular Front In Jammu And Kashmir To Take On BJP In Rajya Sabha Polls

A secular alliance is being formed in Jammu and Kashmir to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled for October 26.

The Congress party is aiming to lead the formation of a broader secular alliance, coordinating closely with the National Conference (NC) and seeking support from other parties to contest all four Rajya Sabha seats, with a particular focus on maximising their chances on each seat.

On September 24, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the polls for the Rajya Sabha seats that became vacant in February 2021, following the expiration of the term of the members of the Upper House.  In 2021, the seats of PDP’s two MPs, Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway, and one each of BJP’s Shamsher Singh and the Congress party’s Ghulam Nabi Azad fell vacant after the end of their terms.

The NC has enough members to win three seats, but the Congress is actively working to gather additional support from other parties for a stronger challenge on the fourth seat. As part of the alliance strategy, the Congress is negotiating for one of the three safe seats and collaborating to prevent vote division. 

Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma stated that there was a demand from the workers for the party to secure at least one seat in an alliance with the NC. Sharma added that it is important to defeat the BJP and emphasised the demand for a Congress seat in Jammu due to a perceived vacuum there, while noting that Congress has representation in Kashmir.

In the 2022 polls, the National Conference had won 42 seats, the BJP 29, the Congress six, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) three, the Peoples Conference( PC) one, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-CPI(M) one, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) one, while the independents had bagged seven seats. BJP General Secretary Ashok Koul said NC and Congress have the advantage, as the BJP lacks allies in this election.

Ahead of the elections, political parties in Kashmir will hold separate meetings before they reach out to each other for support.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Monga stated that discussions with the NC will determine the distribution of seats among alliance partners. He emphasised that final decisions on the number of seats and candidates will result from talks between party leaderships in New Delhi. NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said party leadership will decide whether to leave a seat for Congress. He added that the Central Working Committee will meet to decide which party to support in the polls. A senior NC leader said the party will field three candidates: Farooq Abdullah, Chaudhary Ramzan (North Kashmir), and Sajad Kitchloo (Kishtwar).

While the NC-Congress has numbers on the three seats of the Rajya Sabha, a contest is expected on the fourth seat, given the division of votes, as the two seats will be contested together in the polls.

“The four vacancies are being filled by holding three separate elections, in accordance with the law on the subject, as each of these four vacancies fell under three different cycles,” read an ECI statement about the Rajya Sabha polls, which was issued on September 24.

On the fourth seat, besides the PDP and independent MLAs, the support of small parties, including People’s Conference, Awami Itihaad Party (AIP), CPI(M), and AAP, would have a decisive outcome.

PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan said that the party will support a secular candidate, adding that a final decision has yet to be made on the matter. “The Political Affairs Committee and the party president will decide on whom to support during the Rajya Sabha elections,” he said. People’s Conference leader Bashir Ahmad Dar said the party will decide whom to support after other parties announce their candidates.

Chief Spokesperson of the Awami Itihaad Party (AIP), Inam-un-Nabi, stated that their Political Affairs Committee (PAC) will convene on Saturday to determine which party or candidate to support in the upcoming polls. “A meeting of the PAC will be held on Saturday, following which we will announce our decision,” he said.

According to the poll schedule, a notification for the election will be issued on October 6, while the last date for filing nominations is scheduled for October 13. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 14, and the last date for withdrawing nominations is scheduled for October 16.