Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 7: Notwithstanding desperate efforts of some Congress leaders to get a Rajya Sabha berth, the ruling National Conference has reportedly finalized candidates for three seats of the Upper House of the Parliament.
As per the number in the Legislative Assembly, the ruling National Conference with the support of some Independent MLAs is in a position to comfortably win half of the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir. While the main opposition party BJP is in a position to easily win one seat.
Highly placed sources said that instead of giving any Rajya Sabha seat to the “coalition partner” Congress, the National Conference will field candidates on all three seats and seek the support of the Congress to ensure the victory of the party’s third candidate.
Sources said that the National Conference has decided not to give any seat to the coalition partner Congress which has only six MLAs in the kitty.
Wishing anonymity, a senior National Conference leader said that there was no reason to give one Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress which won only six seats in the just concluded Assembly elections. “Ethnically Congress should not demand a Rajya Sabha seat from the National Conference due to the strength of the party (Congress) in The ruling National Conference has reportedly finalized candidates for three Rajya Sabha seats.
NC with the support of some Independent MLAs is in a position to comfortably win half of the four Rajya Sabha seats in J&K.
Main opposition party BJP is in a position to easily win one seat.
Congress should not demand any Rajya Sabha seat as it has only 6 MLAs in the 90-member house.
As reported earlier, some senior Congress leaders have reportedly approached NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, bypassing their party's central leadership in Delhi.
The move is seen as an attempt to secure a Rajya Sabha berth, as the state's political dynamics shift after the Assembly elections.
Sources within the political circles reveal that these Congress leaders, instead of lobbying with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership in the national capital, have sought "rehabilitation" through an understanding with the NC.
National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah is likely to be nominated to Rajya Sabha while BJP may send one of its senior leaders to the Upper House.
The last Rajya Sabha polls in the erstwhile state were held in 2015 and the four seats have remained vacant since 2021 after the elected members completed their six-year tenures.
In the Assembly polls held after a decade in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference won 42 seats, Congress six, BJP 29, PDP three and one each by the People's Conference, CPI-M, and AAP. Seven independents also emerged victorious. | 