The Election Commission on Monday announced the schedule of by-election to Budgam and Nagrota assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir along with Bihar Assembly election.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar announced that the by-election to two seats in J&K will be held on November 11, while counting will be held on November 14.
The Budgam seat fell vacant after chief minister Omar Abdullah vacated it and retained Ganderbal seat after winning both the seats in the assembly election last year. The Nagrota seat fell vacant after the death of BJP leader Devender Singh Rana on October 31 last year.
While various political parties are yet to announce their candidates, BJP is likely to field Devyani Rana, daughter of Devender Singh Rana from Nagrota seat.
EC notifies 4 Rajya Sabha seats in J&K
The Election Commission, on Monday, notified vacancies of four Rajya Sabha seats from the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The seats fell vacant in February 2021 after the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shamsher Singh, and three others. The Union ministry of law and justice urged the members of the J&K legislative assembly to elect the four members of Rajya Sabha.
“In pursuance of Section 10 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951(43 of 1951), the president is pleased to call upon the elected members of the legislative assembly off the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to elect, in accordance with the provisions of the said Act and of the rules and orders made thereunder, one member for the purpose of filling the seat which has fallen vacant on February 15, 2021, on the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir. Ahmed Laway, members of the Council of States, on the expiration of their term of office,” stated a notification issued by the legislative department of the Union ministry of law and justice.
{{/usCountry}}“In pursuance of Section 10 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951(43 of 1951), the president is pleased to call upon the elected members of the legislative assembly off the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to elect, in accordance with the provisions of the said Act and of the rules and orders made thereunder, one member for the purpose of filling the seat which has fallen vacant on February 15, 2021, on the retirement of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir. Ahmed Laway, members of the Council of States, on the expiration of their term of office,” stated a notification issued by the legislative department of the Union ministry of law and justice.
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, two other separate notifications have also been issued with regard to the vacancies created by the retirement of Rajya Sabha members Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Shamsher Singh who retired on February 10, 2021.
Since there was no assembly in place in J&K when the vacancies occurred, the elections for the four seats could not take place.
The date for the election--October 24--was notified by the Election Commission in September. The last date for filing nominations for the RS polls is October 13. The counting of votes will be taken up in the evening of October 24, an hour after the polling concludes. Polling for the four RS seats in the Union territory is being held nearly a year after the assembly polls.
The ruling NC and its allies have 53 members, while the BJP has 28 members in the assembly.