NC Nominates Ramzan, Kichloo, and Oberoi for J&K Rajya Sabha Polls
Earlier this week, NC spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq had emphasised that candidates will be chosen by the party’s high command and will not be outsiders. He confirmed ongoing seat-sharing talks with Congress, with a final decision expected soon.
SRINAGAR: The National Conference (NC) has nominated former ministers Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan and Sajad Kichloo, alongside Shammi Oberoi, party treasurer and trusted confidant of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir.
NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar announced that the party finalised these candidates after extensive deliberations led by its President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah. Discussions with alliance partner Congress regarding the fourth seat are ongoing.
“These candidates reflect our commitment to regional balance, inclusivity, and effective representation of J&K’s concerns in the Rajya Sabha,” Sagar said. He noted that the NC is keeping one seat open for potential allocation to Congress but did not clarify whether it would be a safe seat or a competitive one where the BJP holds an advantage.
The NC-led alliance, with 53 Assembly members, is poised to secure three of the four Rajya Sabha seats, while the BJP, with 28 members, is likely to win the fourth. The NC-Congress alliance commands 24 votes for the fourth seat, compared to the BJP’s 28. Seven independent Assembly members, unbound by anti-defection laws for Rajya Sabha polls, could influence the outcome.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued notifications for the four Rajya Sabha seats, with nominations due by October 13, scrutiny on October 14, withdrawals by October 16, and polling, if needed, on October 24. Two separate polls will cover the first and second seats, while a combined election will address the remaining two.
Earlier this week, NC spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq had emphasised that candidates will be chosen by the party’s high command and will not be outsiders. He confirmed ongoing seat-sharing talks with Congress, with a final decision expected soon. Chief Minister Abdullah recently indicated that the NC would decide how many seats to contest and how many to allocate to allies.
The Congress, which supports the NC-led government but declined ministerial roles due to the non-restoration of J&K’s statehood, holds six Assembly seats. JKPCC president Tariq Hamid Karra stated that the Congress high command, in consultation with Rahul Gandhi, will finalise its strategy. Senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla is a potential candidate.
The BJP, aiming to contest all four seats, has unofficially named state spokesperson Sunil Sethi, former president Ravinder Raina, and former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh as frontrunners for the competitive seat. Sethi confirmed the BJP will field three candidates: one for each of the first two seats (likely to be won by the NC-led alliance) as a symbolic challenge, and a strong candidate for the combined election for the remaining two seats. A recent BJP core group meeting, attended by Union Minister Jitendra Singh and J&K in-charge Tarun Chugh, focused on candidate qualities, with recommendations sent to the party high command for final approval.
With the NC-led alliance’s numerical strength and the BJP’s strategic contest, the Rajya Sabha elections promise a competitive race. The outcome of NC-Congress negotiations and final candidate selections will shape J&K’s representation in the Upper House.
