NEW DELHI: Biennial elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, lying vacant since 2021, will be held on October 24, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.
While announcing the schedule, the EC said that the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature) and Ladakh (without legislature).
As per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, four sitting members of the Rajya Sabha representing the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir will be deemed to have been elected to fill the seats allocated to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
All four seats were lying vacant since the expiration of the term of the sitting members due to the non-availability of the required electorate to conduct the elections at the time of occurrence of the vacancies.
After the constitution of the State Legislative Assembly of UT of Jammu and Kashmir, there is a required electorate to conduct the Biennial Elections, it noted.
The counting of votes will take place in the evening of October 24, an hour after polling concludes.