Four candidates from the ruling National Conference (NC) and three from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed their nomination papers on Monday for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir.
From the NC, former ministers Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo, Gurwinder Singh (also known as Shammi Oberoi), and party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar submitted their nominations. On the BJP side, Jammu and Kashmir party president Sat Sharma, Ali Mohammad Mir, and Rakesh Mahajan filed their papers.
Initially, the NC had announced three candidates and reserved the fourth seat for a possible alliance discussion with the Congress. However, after Congress declined to contest the “unsafe” fourth seat, NC decided to field its spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar for that position as well.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah addressed legislators not aligned with the NC, stating, “We had kept one seat for Congress, but they have chosen not to field a candidate. We believed Congress had the best chance of winning the fourth seat, but since they opted out, we will contest all four seats. This election will be a clear test of who supports the BJP and who opposes it.”
NC chief spokesman and legislator Tanvir Sadiq expressed confidence, saying, “We are hopeful of winning all four seats. After Congress’s refusal, NC decided at the last moment to contest the fourth seat as well.”
Based on the numbers, the contest looks primarily between NC and BJP. The NC is likely to secure at least three seats and could challenge BJP strongly for the fourth, especially if supported by Independents, Congress, and PDP members.
The BJP, with strong prospects for one seat, could benefit if cross-voting favors its candidates.
Out of 88 assembly members, NC controls around 46 seats including Independents who have joined the party; BJP holds 28; Congress has six; PDP three; and the AIP, Aam Aadmi Party, and PC have one each, alongside one Independent from Shopian. BJP remains the second-largest party in the assembly.
The Rajya Sabha elections in J&K are scheduled for October 24. The Election Commission has issued three separate notifications, indicating that the elections will be conducted as three distinct contests.
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