On Monday, October 13, 2025, three candidates representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officially submitted their nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP has strategically put forward candidates for three of the four available seats in the region.
The nominees — Sat Sharma, who also serves as the BJP Jammu and Kashmir president, alongside Ali Mohammad Mir and Rakesh Mahajan — completed their nomination process in Srinagar. They presented their papers to Manoj Kumar Pandita, the Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, who is the designated returning officer for these polls.
Prominent figures, including Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, and Rajya Sabha member Ghulam Ali Khatana, were present to support the BJP candidates during their nominations.
Speaking to reporters, senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, Sunil Sharma, confirmed the party’s intent to contest three of the four Rajya Sabha seats. He emphasized their determination, stating, “We will do whatever it takes to win all three seats on which we have fielded candidates.”
Earlier in the day, the BJP candidates commenced a procession from their party headquarters in Jawahar Nagar, making their way to the returning officer’s office. Many party MLAs and other influential leaders from the Valley joined them in this show of solidarity.
The Election Commission of India has issued three distinct notifications for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir. This means that elections for two of these seats are being conducted separately, while the remaining two fall under a unified notification.
Given the current legislative assembly’s effective strength of 88 MLAs, the BJP, with its 28 MLAs, realistically has the numbers to secure only one seat on its own. To win additional seats, particularly the two under the common notification, the party will require support from non-BJP MLAs, either through their votes or by them abstaining from the voting process.