 Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 22: With the Election Commission of India (ECI) yet to decide on conducting bypolls for the Nagrota and Budgam Assembly seats, prospects for elections to four vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir appear bleak. The uncertainty comes even as Bihar gears up for its Assembly polls, likely in mid-November.
Apart from the two vacant Assembly seats, the issue of nominating five MLAs is still pending before the court. Sources said the Rajya Sabha elections will only be held once the bypolls for Nagrota and Budgam and the nomination process for the MLAs are completed.
On August 4, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh directed the ECI, the Union Government, and the UT administration to respond to a petition regarding the delay in holding the by-elections. The petition was filed by former minister Harsh Dev Singh. The court gave the authorities four weeks to submit their replies.
Nearly a year has passed since the results of the 90-member J&K Legislative Assembly were declared, but the Upper House seats have remained vacant. Hopes for an early election are dimming, despite political leaders across parties anticipating the polls.
Senior leaders from the National Conference (NC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are seen as contenders for potential Rajya Sabha berths. Congress leaders, too, are hopeful of securing a seat with support from coalition partner NC, despite the party holding only six Assembly seats.
The four Rajya Sabha seats from J&K have been lying vacant since February 2021, when the terms of former MPs Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Nazir Ahmad Laway, and Fayaz Ahmad Mir expired. Since then, the Union Territory has had no representation in the Upper House. |
