Candidates for RS, LA by-polls: BJP, Congress await ‘movement forward’ by central leaderships

Jammu, Oct 7: Amid political hurly-burly vis-à-vis candidates for the biennial elections to four vacant seats of Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir on October 24 besides the assembly segments of Budgam and Nagrota, which would go to by-polls on November 11, 2025, both the J&K BJP and JKPCC are awaiting a ‘movement forward’ by their respective central leaderships.

As far as BJP is concerned, as per the party sources, J&K unit president Sat Sharma and general secretary (organization) Ashok Koul are already engaged in flurry of activities in the union capital, meeting senior central leaders to zero in on the names of candidates and sort out other related issues.

The issues related to seats to be contested and whether the party will enter into an alliance with the ‘third front’ in J&K for these elections – will also be on the table to be deliberated.

The duo, joined by the BJP national general secretary and in-charge J&K affairs Tarun Chugh, on Monday had met the party’s national president J P Nadda in New Delhi with the list of over a dozen probable candidates (for Rajya Sabha), shortlisted by the J&K core group in its meeting on October 4 in Jammu. They were supposed to meet the BJP national general secretary (organization) B L Santhosh on Tuesday and thereafter the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“There is nothing official so far,” was the response of a senior J&K BJP leader, when queried about the meetings with the central leadership and the outcome.  “See, the J&K leaders are there to deliberate with the party’s senior leaders. That process is underway. Our parliamentary board will take a final call on the basis of deliberations and feed-back both in case of Rajya Sabha biennial elections and assembly by-polls. Once the things are finalized, they will be shared,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), too, is waiting for its central leadership to take forward ‘informal negotiations’ with the alliance partner National Conference vis-à-vis seat arrangements in both the cases (RS elections and assembly by-polls) to the ‘formal’ level.

“For RS elections, we still have days till October 13 (the last date for filing nomination). As far as assembly by-polls are concerned, hopefully, the decision of seat arrangement about them too will be taken along with the call for RS elections. So far, nothing has been finalized,” the party sources shared.

The nomination process for biennial elections to four vacant seats in Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir was set in motion on October 6, 2025 with the issuance of three separate “notices of election” by the Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly.

These seats have been lying vacant since 2021 when the term of office of 4 members elected from erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir expired on their retirement.

Similarly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on October 6 announced the election schedule for by-polls in Nagrota and Budgam assembly segments.

Bye-elections to these two seats in the 90-member J&K Legislative Assembly are being held almost one year after they have fallen vacant.

Budgam seat fell vacant after the resignation of the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from this assembly segment on October 21, 2024. He contested from two seats i.e., Budgam and Ganderbal. Later he vacated the Budgam seat and decided to retain the Ganderbal seat.

Nagrota seat had fallen vacant due to the sad and sudden demise of BJP legislator and its senior leader Devender Singh Rana on October 31, 2024, days after the result of J&K assembly elections.