The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for three seats in Jammu and Kashmir. According to a notification issued by the party’s central office in New Delhi, the Central Election Committee of the BJP approved the candidatures of Gulam Mohammad Mir for Constituency 01, Rakesh Mahajan for Constituency 02, and Sat Pal Sharma for Constituency 03.
The notification was released by Arun Singh, the National General Secretary and Chief Spokesperson of the BJP. Earlier, the BJP had declared that its state president, Sat Sharma, would contest one of the Rajya Sabha seats, leveraging the party’s numerical advantage over the ruling alliance.
Sources confirmed that Sat Sharma will contest under the third notification, which covers a combined election for the third and fourth seats. In this seat, the BJP holds a favourable position with 28 votes compared to the 24 votes commanded by the National Conference (NC)-led alliance, giving the BJP an edge ahead of the elections.
Meanwhile, tensions persist within the ruling alliance over the seat-sharing arrangement for the Rajya Sabha polls. The National Conference has offered one of the riskier seats to its alliance partner, the Congress, which is pushing for one of the “safer” seats.
Also Read: BJP to unveil RS candidates for J&K
Sources revealed that during negotiations with the Congress high command, the NC proposed a competitive seat, but the Congress is adamant about securing one of the three safer seats for its candidate. The ongoing deadlock has raised concerns, with reports suggesting that Congress might opt out of fielding a candidate if it does not secure a safer seat.
A senior Congress leader, GA Mir, commented, “We have requested that the Congress nominee file nomination papers against the first or second notification (safe seats), but there is no clarity yet on the issue.” He added, “We are expecting that there will be clarity on the issue by tonight or by tomorrow afternoon.”
Sources further noted, “Negotiations between the leadership of both parties are still underway. The Congress may opt to stay away from the contest if they don’t concede a safer seat.”
Also Read: Jammu and Kashmir statehood remains an elusive dream
Follow us
