Srinagar, Oct 24 Voting commenced on Friday for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir. This election marks the first Rajya Sabha election in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories on August 5, 2019.

Voting is taking place within the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly complex, as confirmed by officials. The elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats are organized under three separate notifications issued by the Election Commission of India. The polls for two of the seats are being conducted separately, while the other two seats are included under a common notification.

In the contest for one of the seats, Chowdhury Mohammed Ramzan of the National Conference (NC) is competing against Ali Mohammed Mir of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). For the second seat, NC’s Sajjad Kitchloo is up against Rakesh Mahajan from the BJP. The third seat features NC’s party treasurer G S Oberoi, also known as Shammi Oberoi, and young state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar, who are both contesting against BJP’s Sat Sharma.

To ensure their MLAs’ participation in the voting process, the NC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) issued three-line whips on Thursday, urging them to vote for the ruling party candidates. The PDP, along with the Congress, has declared its support for the ruling NC.

With a total of 41 members, the NC, backed by six Congress members, three PDP members, one Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA, and six Independents, is expected to secure three of the four seats. The competition for the final seat is notably close.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly comprises 88 MLAs, with the NC-led ruling coalition and the PDP holding a combined strength of 57. The BJP, which has 28 Assembly members, strategically nominated its Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Sat Sharma in the third notification. Sharma gained a significant advantage after the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), led by Sajad Gani Lone, announced its decision to abstain from the Rajya Sabha elections.

The NC has expressed confidence in winning all four seats. The Union territory, which has four Rajya Sabha seats, has been without representation in the Upper House since February 15, 2021, when Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway completed their terms. Additionally, two other members, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas, concluded their terms on February 10 of the same year.