All hopes of the Congress to secure a Rajya Sabha seat from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir were dashed on Friday after the ruling National Conference (NC) announced its three candidates for the upcoming elections to the four seats of the Upper House of Parliament.
As the ruling coalition is comfortably placed to win three seats, the NC declared candidates for these "safe" positions and is likely to leave one "risky" seat for its coalition partner, the Congress.
Although no senior Congress leader was willing to officially comment on the development, party sources admitted that the move was a severe setback, as the Congress had been demanding a safe seat.
"We were demanding a safe seat, not the risky one where the BJP is in a position to win," a senior Congress leader told The International Business Times on the condition of anonymity. "Leaving a difficult seat for us is nothing but an attempt to undermine the importance of the coalition partner," the leader added.
NC fields candidates for three seats
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Friday officially announced its nominees for three of the four Rajya Sabha seats due for election, while confirming that discussions were still ongoing regarding the remaining seat.
The elections, scheduled for October 24, will fill four seats from Jammu and Kashmir that have remained vacant since 2021.
NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar named the three candidates as Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, and Sajad Kichloo. Speaking at a press conference, Sagar said the party was effectively contesting three seats independently and expressed confidence in victory based on the NC-led alliance's strength in the 88-member Legislative Assembly.
Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani refrained from commenting specifically on seat allocation for the alliance partner, the Congress.
NC to leave fourth seat for Congress
The National Conference has decided to field its candidates for three of the four Rajya Sabha seats—one each under the first and second notifications issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The party is expected to leave the fourth seat, which falls under the third notification, for the Congress.
As reported earlier, under the third notification, elections will be held for two Rajya Sabha seats. The NC will contest one of these seats and leave the other for the Congress, whose candidate will face a direct contest with the BJP nominee.
The Congress leadership had been pressing for a winnable seat, not the fourth one where it faces a tough challenge from the BJP.
Given its current strength in the 88-member Legislative Assembly, the NC is confident of securing three of the four seats. The party has the numbers to comfortably win two seats under the first and second notifications, and with 41 MLAs, it can also ensure victory for its candidate on the third seat.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued three separate notifications for the four Rajya Sabha vacancies from Jammu and Kashmir. Voting under all three notifications will involve the same 88 legislators, who will cast their votes three times to elect four members of the Upper House.
According to the ECI, polls for the four seats will be held separately as the vacancies fall under different election cycles. With support from several Independents, the NC is comfortably positioned to win three of the four seats.
The ECI clarified its decision by citing a 1994 Delhi High Court ruling, stating:
"These four vacancies are being filled by holding three separate elections, in accordance with the law on the subject, as each of these vacancies falls under three different cycles."
