Political parties in J-K welcome EC's announcement of polls to 4 Rajya Sabha seats

Jammu: “Better late than never" was the common refrain of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday as they welcomed the Election Commission's decision to hold elections to four vacant Rajya Sabha seats from the Union Territory next month.

Biennial elections to fill the four seats, lying vacant since 2021, will be held on October 24, the Election Commission (EC) announced earlier in the day.

Senior National Conference leader and provincial secretary Sheikh Bashir said, “Better late than never. The elections to the Rajya Sabha were due much earlier in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a welcome step now.”

The Congress pointed out that the Rajya Sabha election has been delayed though the electoral college was in place nearly a year ago following the assembly polls in the Union Territory.

“Today, the Election Commission of India has announced elections to four Rajya Sabha seats that have remained vacant till now. It is the right decision, though a delayed one. We welcome it,” Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma told PTI.

He pointed out that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held a year ago and the electoral college was in place, yet the UT remained unrepresented in the Rajya Sabha for over a year. “Dair aaya, durust aaya (better late than never),” he said.

Sharma said the party leadership will soon meet to deliberate on the matter. “We will take the right decision in consultation with our central leadership,” he added.

Reacting to the announcement of the poll schedule, BJP spokesperson Zorawar Singh Jamwal said, “The Election Commission announced elections for four vacant Rajya Sabha seats today. It is a welcome step.”

“These new MPs, once elected, will raise issues related to the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the development of the region in Parliament,” he said.

The Union Territory has been unrepresented in the Upper House of Parliament since February 15, 2021, the day when Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway finished their term.

Two other members, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsher Singh Manhas, had completed their term on February 10 in the same year.

According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, four members of the Rajya Sabha were to represent the UT, but the seats remained vacant after the expiry of the previous members’ terms due to the absence of the required electorate at that time.

With the constitution of the J-K Legislative Assembly, the electorate is now in place to conduct the biennial elections, the EC said.

The counting of votes will take place on October 24, an hour after polling concludes.