BJP to Field Candidates for All Four Rajya Sabha Seats from Jammu Kashmir

SRINAGAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to contest all four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir that are scheduled to go to polls on October 24, the party’s chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi said on Saturday after a meeting of the party’s core group in Jammu.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the decision was taken during a meeting chaired by BJP national general secretary and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh, and attended by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, senior party leaders, and members of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP’s core committee. The meeting reviewed the prevailing political situation in the Union Territory and finalised the party’s strategy for the upcoming elections.

Sethi told reporters that while no final names have been decided, the BJP would field “potential and reputed” candidates for all four seats, including those where the party’s numerical strength in the 90-member Assembly may not guarantee a win. “The party will field candidates who have a good public image and can effectively raise the issues of Jammu and Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha,” he said.

The BJP currently holds 28 seats in the Assembly, which makes it certain to win one of the four Rajya Sabha seats, but the remaining contests will depend heavily on votes from non-BJP members. The ruling National Conference (NC) and its allies, with a combined strength of 53 MLAs, are expected to comfortably win two of the seats. The remaining two seats will be filled through a single election, where BJP sources said the party may field a heavyweight candidate to test its support among independents and smaller parties.

Party sources quoted by Daily Excelsior said the BJP leadership wanted to send a strong political message by contesting all four seats, including those likely to be won by the NC-led bloc. “Even if the arithmetic is not in our favour, the BJP will not give a walkover this time,” a senior leader said.

The four seats, earlier held by PDP MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway, BJP’s Shamsher Singh, and Ghulam Nabi Azad (then with Congress), fell vacant in February 2021 when their terms expired. The vacancies could not be filled earlier as Jammu and Kashmir was under President’s Rule following its 2019 reorganisation into two Union Territories. The new J&K Assembly was constituted in late 2024 following the region’s first post-reorganisation elections.

The Election Commission of India announced on September 25 that polling for the four Rajya Sabha seats would be held on October 24, with nominations closing on October 13. Counting of votes will take place the same evening, an hour after polling concludes.

In accordance with parliamentary procedure, the four seats will be filled through three separate elections, as the vacancies arose from different biennial cycles. The first two seats will be decided through separate elections, while the remaining two will be contested together in a single poll.

Party insiders said the BJP core group discussed what kind of representation the Union Territory needed in the Upper House. Sethi noted that “every member present gave their views,” and that the final decision will rest with the party’s high command.

He dismissed reports of any talks with other parties for support, saying the BJP believed in “fair elections, not cross-voting”.

Saturday’s meeting, held at the BJP headquarters in Jammu, was attended by several senior figures, including Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Sharma, former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, MPs Jugal Kishore Sharma and Ghulam Ali Khatana, and former party president Ravinder Raina.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Tarun Chugh accused the Congress and the INDIA bloc of “opposing every good decision of the Modi government” and said the BJP’s focus remained on “Viksit Bharat” — a developed India. He highlighted the government’s economic achievements, noting that India had moved from “the 13th or 14th largest economy in 2013 to the fourth largest today”.

He also cited welfare measures such as the creation of a Skill Development Ministry, increase in minimum support prices (MSP) for farmers, and the announcement of a three per cent hike in dearness allowance for central government employees.

The October 24 Rajya Sabha elections are expected to be a major political test for the newly elected J&K Assembly, held last year after a gap of more than six years. For the BJP, which emerged as the second-largest party in the House, the contest will be an opportunity to assert its legislative presence and gauge the mood of smaller blocs and independents.

Even though the National Conference-led alliance appears numerically stronger, BJP leaders say the party’s decision to contest all four seats underscores its commitment to active participation in the democratic process of the Union Territory.