Srinagar, Sept 24 (JKNS): The Election Commission of India on Wednesday announced the schedule for long-awaited Rajya Sabha elections from the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, more than four years after the seats fell vacant.
A notification issued by ECI as per news agency JKNS reads, the poll body will issue the official notification on October 6, with the last date for filing nominations set for October 13. Scrutiny of nominations will be held on October 14, and voting for the four seats will take place on October 24 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with counting scheduled at 5:00 PM the same day.
The four seats previously held by Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Nazir Ahmed Laway had remained vacant since February 2021 due to the absence of a legislative assembly following the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories under the 2019 Re organization Act. The newly formed Legislative Assembly now provides the necessary electoral body to conduct the elections.
The Commission clarified that three separate polls will be conducted to fill the four seats, following the practice upheld by the Delhi High Court in 1994 for separately categorized seats. The tenure of the newly elected members will remain subject to the outcome of a pending Supreme Court case – SLP(C) No. 17123/2015. (JKNS)
