The political stage is set for an intense contest over the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, as 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.
In an election that promises to be closely contested, the first notification revealed Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan of the NC and Dr. Ali Muhammad Mir of the BJP alongside independent candidate Prabhakar Dada each throwing their hats into the ring for one seat. Given that the NC-led alliance commands a substantial majority with 53 MLAs, Ramzan appears poised to secure this seat without needing Congress support. Conversely, the BJP, supported by its 28 MLAs, will aim to leverage its own strengths.
For the second notification covering another seat, NC’s Sajad Kichloo and BJP’s Rakesh Mahajan are also eying victory. Political analysts suggest that the prevailing voting pattern mirrors the first election, placing Kichloo in a favorable position to win.
However, the racy backdrop intensifies for the third notification, which includes two seats. NC’s Gurwinder Singh Oberoi (alias Shammi Oberoi) and Imran Dar have filed nominations alongside BJP’s Sat Pal Sharma and independent candidate Kante Sayanna. Political observers believe the two candidates with the highest vote counts here will emerge victorious. The NC alliance is predicted to confer 29 votes to Oberoi while also allocating 24 votes for Dar. At the same time, BJP legislators are expected to cast all 28 votes for Sharma.
Speaking to the press after filing his nomination, BJP’s Rakesh Mahajan expressed gratitude towards the party’s leadership and voiced optimism about clinching multiple seats. “I am thankful to the national leadership for this honour. I am sure we will win all three seats. The BJP gives equal opportunity to every worker, and all get their due right,” he remarked.
BJP party president Sat Sharma, who is also contesting for a seat, underscored the party’s tenacity by taking a jab at the ruling NC. He declared, “We will fight with all our strength and script history. We aim to win more than one seat this time.”
Dr. Ali Muhammad Mir, another nominee from the BJP, shared his sentiments of gratitude. “Entire Kashmir is happy. I thank the central leadership for considering me competent for this responsibility,” he stated.
On the opposing side, NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq confirmed the successful completion of the nomination process. He expressed confidence in their candidates winning all four seats, despite noting, “It is unfortunate that Congress did not agree to what was offered. I urge all secular forces to support our candidates,” he said.
Senior NC leader Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, also among the contenders, emphasized his commitment to addressing both developmental and political concerns in Parliament. “We will come up to people’s expectations. There are numerous issues—developmental and political—that must be addressed, and we will talk about them,” he affirmed.
The elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir are slated to take place later this month, setting the stage for potential shifts in the political landscape of the region.
