Denied ‘Safe Seat’, Congress Withdraws from Rajya Sabha Race in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar, Oct 12: The Congress party in Jammu and Kashmir has decided to stay out of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for October 24, after alliance partner National Conference (NC) declined to offer it what the Congress described as a “safe seat.” The decision was announced by Tariq Hamid Karra, President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), following an extensive meeting of senior party leaders in Srinagar on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Karra said the decision was unanimous. “Our central leadership had sought one of the two seats that are going to polls separately, but the National Conference offered us one of the two seats that fall under a common notification,” he explained. “Keeping this in mind, all participants agreed that seat number four is not as safe like seat one or two. Therefore, we have decided not to field a candidate and will leave it to our alliance partner to make their choice,” he added.

The Congress leadership, Karra said, felt that contesting a seat with little chance of victory would serve no strategic purpose. “Since the safe seat was not offered to us, we have decided not to contest on seat four,” he clarified, emphasizing that the decision was taken in a spirit of alliance coordination, not confrontation.

The National Conference has already declared its three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, leveraging its majority in the Assembly to secure their likely victories. While the NC candidates are expected to comfortably win three of the four seats, the fourth seat remains a contested battleground, requiring united support from non-BJP parties. To secure that seat, the ruling alliance would need to consolidate votes from PDP (3 MLAs), People’s Conference (1 MLA), Awami Ittehad Party (1 MLA), and AAP (1 MLA), in addition to NC’s own tally.

Karra further revealed that the meeting also covered broader alliance issues, governance concerns, and upcoming by-elections in the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly constituencies. “While some legislators expressed grievances related to administrative matters, the core focus of today’s meeting remained the Rajya Sabha elections. Regarding bypolls, we discussed various inputs from our members and will soon open dialogue with the NC. The feedback will be shared with our central leadership for further guidance,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finalized its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir and will file nomination papers on Monday at the Civil Secretariat (J&K Assembly), Srinagar. The BJP’s nominees include Sat Sharma (CA), Rakesh Mahajan, and Dr. Ali Mohammad Mir. They will be accompanied by 28 BJP MLAs, State General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul, and senior leaders of the party during the filing.

Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, said the party is well-prepared for the electoral contest. “Our Parliamentary Board has finalized three candidates whose nominations will be submitted tomorrow. The meeting we held in Srinagar was to finalize our strategy and ensure that we maximize our chances of success,” he stated.

On Saturday, the BJP’s leadership held an internal review meeting with its legislators to discuss the upcoming polls. The party is expected to engage in a strong outreach campaign to win over independent and regional MLAs, aiming to strengthen its position beyond its assured seat.

The Election Commission of India has issued three separate notifications for the Rajya Sabha elections. Based on the current composition of the Assembly, the NC-Congress alliance holds a clear numerical advantage in three seats, while the BJP is comfortably placed for one. However, the BJP’s decision to field candidates for three of the four seats is seen as a tactical move to test the alliance’s internal unity and exert political pressure on smaller parties.