Election Commission Announces Bye-Elections for Rajya Sabha Seats in J-K and Punjab

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has declared bye-elections for four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir and one seat in Punjab. Voting and counting for all five seats are scheduled for October 24. The four J-K seats have been vacant since February 2021, following the retirements of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, and Nazir Ahmed Laway. The ECI will conduct three separate elections to fill the J-K vacancies, due to the vacancies falling under three different cycles. This decision was previously challenged in the Delhi High Court in 1994, but the court upheld the ECI’s decision to hold separate elections. The Punjab seat became vacant after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjeev Arora resigned on July 1, with his term originally slated to end on April 9, 2028. Notifications for all five seats will be issued on October 6. The deadline for nominations is October 13, followed by scrutiny on October 14 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures on October 16. Polling will take place on October 24, between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, with vote counting starting at 5:00 pm the same day.