The political stage is set for an intense contest over the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir. Nine candidates, including four from the ruling National Conference (NC) and three from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed their nomination papers before the Returning Officer, Manoj Pandita, Secretary of the Assembly, today.
The first notification indicates that the election will be held for one seat. Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan from the NC and Dr. Ali Muhammad Mir from the BJP entered their nominations, alongside independent candidate Prabhakar Dada. With the NC-led alliance commanding 53 MLAs, Ramzan is likely to secure this seat comfortably, even without Congress’s support. The BJP, for its part, enjoys the backing of its 28 MLAs.
Under the second notification, Sajad Kichloo of the NC and Rakesh Mahajan of the BJP emerged as contenders for another seat. Given the voting pattern, Kichloo appears poised for victory, mirroring his party’s previous successes.
For the third notification, which encompasses two seats, NC’s Gurwinder Singh Oberoi (alias Shammi Oberoi) and Imran Dar, alongside BJP’s Sat Pal Sharma and independent candidate Kante Sayanna, have filed their nomination papers. Political observers note that the two candidates securing the highest number of votes will win these positions. The NC alliance is expected to secure 29 votes for Oberoi and allocate 24 votes to Dar, while BJP legislators are likely to cast all 28 votes for Sharma.
Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, BJP’s Rakesh Mahajan expressed gratitude and optimism regarding the outcome. “I am thankful to the national leadership for this honour. I am confident we will win all three seats. The BJP gives equal opportunity to every worker, allowing all to get their due rights,” he stated.
Party president Sat Sharma, also contesting, criticized the ruling NC while highlighting the BJP’s determination. “We will fight with all our strength and script history. We aim to win more than one seat this time,” Sharma asserted.
Another BJP nominee, Dr. Ali Mohammad Mir, expressed his sense of honour regarding the trust placed in him. “The entire Kashmir is happy. I thank the central leadership for considering me competent for this responsibility,” he said.
Meanwhile, NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq confirmed the successful completion of the nomination process, declaring, “We are confident of winning all four seats. However, it is unfortunate that Congress did not agree to what was offered. I urge all secular forces to support our candidates.”
Senior NC leader Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, also in the fray, pledged to address developmental and political concerns in Parliament. “We will meet people’s expectations. A number of developmental and political issues must be addressed, and we will advocate for them,” he asserted.
The elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir are set to take place later this month.
