SRINAGAR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday finally announced the schedule for biennial elections to four vacant Rajya Sabha seats from the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory. The polling for these four vacant seats will be held on October 24.
According to the ECI, the poll notification for the four vacant Rajya Sabha seats will be issued on October 6. “The last date for filing nominations is October 13. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 14. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 16.”
Voting for the four vacant Rajya Sabha seats will be held on October 24 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the counting of votes will take place on the same day at 5 p.m.
The four Rajya Sabha seats from J&K had fallen vacant in February 2021 following the end of terms of PDP MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway, BJP MP Shamsher Singh, and former Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Since February 2021, the four Rajya Sabha seats from J&K have remained vacant due to the absence of the Legislative Assembly in the Jammu and Kashmir UT.
After the abrogation of Article 370 and the downgrading and bifurcation of the erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories, elections for the 90-member J&K Assembly were held last year.
“Consequent upon the constitution of the State Legislative Assembly of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, there is now the required electorate to conduct the biennial elections to the Council of States from the UT of Jammu & Kashmir,” stated the ECI.
According to the ECI, the four vacancies from J&K are being filled by holding three separate elections in accordance with the law, as each of these four vacancies falls under three categories.
“In accordance with the law so laid down, the four seats, which had fallen vacant in the Rajya Sabha on 10-02-2021 and 15-02-2021 from the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, will be filled by holding three separate biennial elections to fill one, one, and two seats respectively, by issuing three separate notifications for one member retired on 10-02-2021, one on 10-02-2021, and two on 15-02-2021,” the ECI stated.
The ECI also noted that the term of the members elected from Jammu and Kashmir will remain subject to the outcome of a case pending before the Supreme Court in Election Commission of India Vs Devesh Chandra Thakur & Others.
“Adequate measures for close monitoring of the election process by appointing observers shall be taken to ensure free and fair elections,” added the ECI.
In the recently held Vice Presidential poll, only five Lok Sabha members from J&K and a nominated member from J&K voted.