Srinagar: Biennial elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, which have been lying vacant since 2021, will be held on October 24, the Election Commission said on Wednesday and “better late than never” was the common refrain of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir as they welcomed the decision.
Separately, Rajya Sabha bypoll to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of AAP member from Punjab Sanjeev Arora will also be held on October 24.
He had resigned following his election to the Punjab assembly. His Rajya Sabha term was to otherwise end on April 9, 2028.
The Rajya Sabha elections for the four Jammu and Kashmir seats are being held nearly a year after the assembly polls were held in the union territory.
MLAs elect Rajya Sabha members of their respective states.
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 Shamsheer Singh Manhas, had completed their term on February 10, the same year.
While announcing the schedule, the EC said that the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature).
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, four sitting members of the Rajya Sabha representing the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir will be deemed to have been elected to fill the seats allocated to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
All four seats were lying vacant since the expiration of the term of the sitting members due to the non-availability of the required electorate to conduct the elections at the time of occurrence of the vacancies.
After the constitution of the State Legislative Assembly of UT of Jammu and Kashmir, there is a required electorate to conduct the Biennial Elections, it noted.
The counting of votes will take place in the evening of October 24, an hour after polling concludes.
Meanwhile, 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 said.
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.
