Jammu & Kashmir
The ruling National Conference (NC) on Friday announced its nominees for three of the four Rajya Sabha seats up for election in Jammu and Kashmir, while confirming that discussions with the Congress are ongoing regarding the fourth seat.
Senior NC leaders Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, and Sajad Kichloo have been officially nominated to contest the upcoming polls. Speaking at a media conference, NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said, We have kept one seat open, and talks are ongoing with the Congress.
The party did not clarify whether it intends to offer a safe seat to the Congress or a more competitive seat traditionally held by the BJP. Current calculations suggest the NC-Congress alliance has 24 votes for the fourth seat, while the BJP holds 28 votes.
The Rajya Sabha elections in J&K were delayed for over four years after the seats fell vacant in February 2021, following the end of terms for MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Nazir Ahmed Laway. At that time, Jammu and Kashmir was under President’s Rule, and the Legislative Assembly was not in place.
The Election Commission of India announced on September 24 that the elections for the four seats would be held on October 24, 2025. The J&K Legislative Assembly consists of 90 elected members, with the ruling NC holding 42 seats, BJP 29, Congress 6, PDP 3, CPI(M) 1, Peoples Conference 1, AAP 1, Awami Ittehad Party 1, and six Independents, four of whom later joined the NC.
The announcement marks a key step in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with political strategies and alliances continuing to evolve ahead of the polls.
