Who Are the BJP Candidates for the J&K Rajya Sabha Elections?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The BJP has announced three candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
- Elections will take place on October 24, with nominations due soon.
- The party has a favorable vote distribution compared to the National Conference.
- The NC has announced its own candidates, creating a competitive landscape.
- Political negotiations continue amid tensions between the NC and Congress.
Jammu, Oct 12 (NationPress) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared its slate of three candidates for the open Rajya Sabha positions in Jammu and Kashmir, with elections set for October 24.
This announcement positions the BJP to contend for three out of the four Rajya Sabha seats in the union territory.
The party has chosen its UT president, Sat Pal Sharma, along with leaders Rakesh Mahajan and Ghulam Mohammed Mir.
Among the four Rajya Sabha positions, the BJP appears to have an advantage for the fourth seat with Sat Sharma as its candidate.
Based on the distribution of electoral college votes, the BJP holds 28 votes, while the National Conference (NC) alliance has 24 votes for this fourth seat.
The NC has also announced its three candidates for the seats, where it has a stronger position against the BJP.
NC General Secretary, Ali Mohammad Sagar, and Chief Minister advisor Nasir Aslam Wani revealed that the party will nominate Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, Sajad Kichloo, and Shammi Oberoi.
The ruling party in the UT has extended the fourth seat to the Congress for contesting. Given the BJP's solid advantage over the NC-Congress alliance for this seat, the Congress has opted not to field a candidate for this 'risky' position.
Sources indicate ongoing discussions with NC leadership to encourage a 'safer' seat for the Congress. However, it is improbable that NC would relinquish any of the three seats for which candidates have already been declared.
This has created a stalemate regarding the Rajya Sabha seat allocation between the NC and the Congress.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats in J&K on September 24, marking the first such elections in over four years due to the absence of a Legislative Assembly since February 2021.
The ECI stated, “All four aforementioned seats have remained vacant since the expiration of the terms of sitting members due to the lack of the required electorate to conduct these elections when vacancies arose. Following the constitution of the State Legislative Assembly of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, there is a necessity for the electorate to hold the Biennial Elections to the Council of States from this UT.”
The deadline for submitting nomination papers for the four Rajya Sabha seats is set for Monday, and voting will occur on October 24.