J&K holds 1st Rajya Sabha elections since 2019 today
What's the story
Jammu and Kashmir is all set to hold its first Rajya Sabha elections since the region was reorganized in 2019 on Friday. The elections will fill four vacant seats in the Upper House of Parliament, which have been lying vacant since February 2021 due to the absence of a legislative assembly. The results are expected to be a major barometer of the current legislative strength of political parties after recent assembly elections.
Candidate lineup
Election comes after the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act
The National Conference (NC) has fielded candidates for all four seats, while the BJP has put up nominees for three seats. The required quota of votes to win a seat is around 18, making it difficult for the BJP to win without support from non-aligned MLAs. The Congress has opted out of the polls, but J&K Pradesh Congress Committee President Tariq Hameed Karra has announced the party's decision to support the NC.
Meeting absence
Abdullah addresses Congress's absence at allies' meeting
NC leader Omar Abdullah expressed confidence that his party would win all four seats but acknowledged that it would require every non-BJP vote to be cast in favor of NC candidates. Abdullah also addressed the absence of Congress legislators at a key allies' meeting on Wednesday. He said every party has its own procedure and downplayed the impact of Congress's abstention on NC candidates. "So, let them have their meetings, no one should have any objection to that," he added.
Seats
Seats vacant since 2021
The Union territory, which has four Rajya Sabha seats, has been unrepresented in the Upper House since February 2021, when Ghulam Nabi Azad, Nazir Ahmed Laway, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas finished their tenure that month. Going by numbers, the 41-member NC, which has the support of six Congress, one CPM MLAs and six Independents, will likely win three seats. The Assembly comprises 88 MLAs, 41 of whom belong to the NC. The BJP has 28 MLAs.