BJP announces Three Candidates for Jammu & Kashmir Rajya Sabha Polls

October 12, 2025

Srinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its three candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled for October 24.

The party has nominated Sat Pal Sharma, the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit president, along with Rakesh Mahajan and Ghulam Mohammed Mir, for the three available seats.

BJP Confident About Fourth Seat

Of the four Rajya Sabha seats from the Union Territory, the BJP will contest three, while the National Conference (NC) has already announced candidates for the remaining three seats where it holds an advantage.

For the fourth seat, the BJP is confident of victory, as the electoral college votes reportedly stand at 28 for the BJP and 24 for the NC alliance. The party has fielded Sat Sharma for this key contest.

NC Announces Its Candidates

Earlier, the National Conference had named its three nominees — Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, Sajad Kichloo, and Shammi Oberoi — for the seats where it enjoys majority support.

NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to the Chief Minister, confirmed the decision, saying the party’s candidates reflect regional balance and experience.

Congress Declines to Contest ‘Risky’ Seat

The BJP, which leads the ruling coalition in the UT, had offered the fourth seat to the Congress to contest. However, with the BJP enjoying a numerical edge, the Congress has refused to field a candidate, calling it a “risky seat.”

Sources said discussions are underway to persuade the NC to offer Congress a ‘safe seat’, though this appears unlikely, given that the NC has already finalised its three nominations.

This impasse has resulted in a deadlock over seat-sharing between the NC and Congress.

ECI Schedule and Context

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced the biennial polls for the four Rajya Sabha seats on September 24, marking the first such election in over four years. The delay followed the absence of a Legislative Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir since February 2021.

In its notification, the ECI stated:

“All four seats are lying vacant since the expiration of the term of office of sitting members due to non-availability of the required electorate at the time of occurrence of said vacancies. Consequent upon the constitution of the State Legislative Assembly of UT of Jammu & Kashmir, there is a requirement for the electorate to conduct the Biennial Elections to the Council of States.”

The last date for filing nominations is Monday, while voting will take place on October 24.