SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) on Friday announced its candidates for three of the four Rajya Sabha seats in J&K, elections to which are scheduled to take place on October 24.
The party has named former MLAs Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan and Sajad Kichloo, and Shammi Oberoi, the party’s treasurer and a close confidant of chief minister Omar Abdullah, while one seat has been kept for ally Congress . However, it hasn’t yet decided whether Congress will get a safe seat or contest for the fourth seat, where BJP holds an advantage.
Addressing a press conference, NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said the party had kept one seat open as discussions were going on with Congress. J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra expressed confidence that his party would be allotted a “safe seat”.
NC sources said the party decided against fielding its president, Farooq Abdullah, given his health condition, although there was a broad consensus around him.
Shammi Oberoi, a prominent businessman, has been associated with NC for over two decades and has been its treasurer since March 2017. He is the son of former MLC late Dharamveer Singh Oberoi.
According to the ECI, the four vacancies will be filled through three separate elections, as required by law.
J&K’s four Rajya Sabha seats have been vacant since Feb 2021 when Ghulam Nabi Azad, Nazir Ahmed Laway, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas completed their term.
The current strength of the 90-member J&K assembly is 88, with the NC-Congress alliance having the backing of 53 members. BJP has 28 seats while PDP has three. Two seats have been vacant as CM Omar, who contested from two constituencies in last year’s assembly polls, vacated Budgam and retained Ganderbal, while the MLA from Nagrota died. Bypoll to the Budgam assembly seat is scheduled for Novermber 11.
The party has named former MLAs Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan and Sajad Kichloo, and Shammi Oberoi, the party’s treasurer and a close confidant of chief minister Omar Abdullah, while one seat has been kept for ally Congress . However, it hasn’t yet decided whether Congress will get a safe seat or contest for the fourth seat, where BJP holds an advantage.
Addressing a press conference, NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said the party had kept one seat open as discussions were going on with Congress. J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra expressed confidence that his party would be allotted a “safe seat”.
NC sources said the party decided against fielding its president, Farooq Abdullah, given his health condition, although there was a broad consensus around him.
Shammi Oberoi, a prominent businessman, has been associated with NC for over two decades and has been its treasurer since March 2017. He is the son of former MLC late Dharamveer Singh Oberoi.
According to the ECI, the four vacancies will be filled through three separate elections, as required by law.
J&K’s four Rajya Sabha seats have been vacant since Feb 2021 when Ghulam Nabi Azad, Nazir Ahmed Laway, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas completed their term.
The current strength of the 90-member J&K assembly is 88, with the NC-Congress alliance having the backing of 53 members. BJP has 28 seats while PDP has three. Two seats have been vacant as CM Omar, who contested from two constituencies in last year’s assembly polls, vacated Budgam and retained Ganderbal, while the MLA from Nagrota died. Bypoll to the Budgam assembly seat is scheduled for Novermber 11.
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