The BJP central leadership has cleared three names for party's candidates for elections to Rajya Sabha.
The polls will be held on October 24.
These are the first Rajya Sabha elections in the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the former state into two Union Territories.
The election to the 90-member J&K Assembly was held in 2024.
They are -- Ghulam Mohd Mir, Rakesh Mahajan and Sat Pal Sharma. The UT's ruling National Conference-Congress combine has an edge and may pick up three seats while the BJP has in one, going by the respective party strengths.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Sat Pal Sharma is set to contest from a 'safe seat' where the party holds a numerical advantage. The Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), led by jailed MP Er Rashid, also has one member and has decided to field its own candidate instead of supporting the NC or abstaining, a move that could otherwise indirectly benefit the BJP.
In the 90-member J&K Assembly, the current strength stands at 88.
The National Conference (NC)-led alliance commands a majority with the support of 53 members while the BJP holds 28 seats.
The smaller parties such as the People's Democratic Party (PDP) with three seats, the People's Conference - one, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - one MLA, who is currently in jail may play key roles in voting.
The BJP’s decision to force a contest has added extra flavours to the polity of the province that is striving to get back the statehood status.
The Lotus party is now expected to launch an intensive exercise to woo MLAs from other parties to shore up support for its candidates.
The ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir had on Friday announced the names of its three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Discussions were on with the Congress for the fourth seat, the National Conference has said.
The NC has announced Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, and Sajad Ahmad Kichloo as its candidates for three seats, leaving one seat for the Congress. However, the Congress, with six MLAs, is in talks with the NC and is seeking a 'safe seat' for its nominee. It has yet to announce a candidate.
The upcoming Rajya Sabha election is being seen as a high-stakes contest for both the NC and the BJP, as each party seeks to bolster its influence in the Union Territory.
The four Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant in February 2021 after the terms ended for PDP MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway, BJP MP Shamsher Singh, and former Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad.
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