Jammu, October 3, 2025 : The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will convene a core group meeting on Saturday in Jammu to initiate the process for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for four vacant seats in the Union Territory.
The Election Commission of India had announced on September 25 that polling for the four Rajya Sabha seats would be held on October 24, 2025, more than four years after the seats fell vacant. The vacancies occurred in February 2021, when the terms of MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Nazir Ahmed Laway ended. At that time, Jammu and Kashmir was under President’s Rule, and the lack of a functioning Assembly delayed the elections.
Speaking on the upcoming meeting, Girdhari Lal Raina, spokesperson of J&K BJP, said, “The core group meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir BJP will be held at the party headquarters at 10 AM on Saturday to discuss various issues of importance.” He added that BJP National General Secretary and J&K in-charge Tarun Chugh will preside over the meeting.
Sources indicate that the meeting will formalize the process of candidate selection for the Rajya Sabha polls. “The names of three to four leaders are expected to be discussed, including former J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina, former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh, and a woman leader,” a party insider said.
In addition to Rajya Sabha preparations, the meeting will also address the current political situation in Jammu and Kashmir and strategize for the forthcoming Assembly bypolls in Nagrota and Budgam.
The last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls is October 13, 2025, while counting of votes will take place on the evening of October 24, shortly after polling concludes.
The formation of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in November 2024 marked the first Assembly election after the Union Territory was established in 2019, paving the way for resumption of electoral processes like the Rajya Sabha polls.
The BJP’s core group meeting is expected to set the political roadmap for the party in the Union Territory, highlighting both candidate selection and election preparedness.
