Srinagar, Sept 24, KNT: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday announced biennial elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, which have been lying vacant since 2021. The polls will be conducted on October 24, marking the Union Territory’s return to representation in the Upper House of Parliament nearly four years after the seats fell vacant.
The announcement of Rajya Sabha elections for Jammu and Kashmir comes almost a year after the UT held Assembly polls, paving the way for the constitution of the new legislature. Under the rules, Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) elect Rajya Sabha members of their respective states and Union Territories with legislatures.
Jammu and Kashmir has been without representation in the Upper House since February 2021, when the terms of its four representatives ended. On February 10, 2021, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsher Singh Manhas completed their tenure, followed by Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway on February 15.
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At the time, the Union Territory did not have a functioning Assembly, preventing the conduct of biennial elections. The vacancies persisted until now, leaving Jammu and Kashmir without a voice in the Rajya Sabha.
The Election Commission, while announcing the schedule, recalled that the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories in August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir, with a legislature, and Ladakh, without a legislature. As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, four sitting members of the Rajya Sabha representing the erstwhile state were deemed to have been elected to fill the seats allocated to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
With the constitution of the new Legislative Assembly, the required electoral college is now in place to conduct the biennial polls. The Commission said polling will be held on October 24 and counting of votes will take place the same evening, beginning an hour after polling concludes.
Political analysts said the elections are likely to become a test of strength among major parties in the newly elected Assembly, with the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, and independents all vying for influence. Smaller parties may play a decisive role if numbers turn tight.
The absence of J&K voices in the Rajya Sabha has been repeatedly flagged by regional leaders over the past four years. Wednesday’s announcement was welcomed by several parties as a step towards normalising the Union Territory’s democratic processes, though some also stressed that restoration of full statehood remains their core demand.
The October 24 elections will determine who will represent Jammu and Kashmir in the Upper House at a critical time, as debates over statehood, special safeguards, and regional autonomy continue to dominate political discourse in the Union Territory. [KNT]
