BJP to contest polls for all four Rajya Sabha seats in J-K

The BJP on Saturday decided to contest all four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir that are lying vacant since February 2021. The election for these seats is scheduled for election on October 24, a year after the Assembly polls in J&K.

The core committee of the party, which met here today, is learnt to have prepared a panel of four, including Sat Sharma, Dr. Nirmal Singh, Ravinder Raina and Sunil Sethi, for contesting the polls.

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Sharma is president of the J&K unit of BJP, while Singh is a former deputy chief minister. Raina lost the Assembly elections against the National Conference candidate Surinder Choudhary who is now the deputy CM of J&K. Sethi is the chief spokesman of the BJP in J&K.

With its strength of 28 in the 90 member Assembly, the BJP can win only one Rajya Sabha seat. However, the PDP and Peoples Conference, which shared power with the BJP in J&K, have not yet opened their cards on the issue of support in these elections. It is to be seen which way the AIP of the detained Engineer Rashid goes.

The panel of BJP probables will be sent to the party high command for the final decision.

The core committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Tarun Chugh, BJP national general secretary. Sat Sharma, J&K BJP chief and union minister Dr. Jitendra Singh were among those present.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, Jammu & Kashmir is witnessing a historic transformation in governance and development. He stressed that the implementation of public welfare schemes must reach every beneficiary, ensuring transparency and last-mile delivery. He said that the collective resolve is to intensify organizational activities, strengthen public outreach, and make every citizen a partner in India’s journey towards self-reliance.