j-k-nc-announces-3-candidates-for-upcoming-rs-polls

In a significant political announcement, ruling National Conference (NC) in J&K on Friday revealed its picks for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, announcing Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, and Sajad Kichloo as its official candidates. Elections to 4 seats of the UT for Upper House are schedued on October 24.

 

Speaking at a press briefing, NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar confirmed that the party has finalized three nominations and is in active talks with the Congress over a possible alliance for the fourth seat.“One seat has been deliberately kept open, and discussions with the Congress are underway,” Sagar stated.

 

With the Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu & Kashmir scheduled for October 24, political parties are gearing up to announce their candidates. Sources said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to finalize its nominee(s) later today.However, speculations are rife that former state president Ravinder Raina has emerged as the frontrunner. Other names in consideration include Sunil Sethi, chief spokesman of the J&K BJP unit, former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, and state president Sat Sharma.

 

It remains unclear whether BJP will field only one candidate for the third seat, where a combined election will be held for two seats, or contest all seats as a symbolic challenge to the ruling NC-led alliance.The Congress is likely to field its candidate from mainland Jammu, a region where the party has not won a seat since 2014. Udhay Bhanu Chib, President of the Indian Youth Congress, and former minister Raman Bhalla have emerged as the leading contenders for the ticket.

 

 Chib, the second person from Jammu and Kashmir to serve as President of the Indian Youth Congress after Ghulam Nabi Azad in 1980, holds an engineering degree from Pune University and an MBA from Arni University, Himachal Pradesh.Sources also noted that the possibility of MLA Ghulam Ahmad Mir being nominated as the Congress candidate cannot be ruled out. Political analysts believe that the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections will  provide insights into the changing dynamics of party politics in Jammu & Kashmir ahead of future legislative bypolls.