Nasir Azam
Srinagar : Jammu & Kashmir’s four Rajya Sabha members will complete their six-year term in February next year.
Details available with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveal that incumbent MPs of J&K Union Territory in Upper House of the Parliament will complete their six-year term between February 10 to 15 next year.
While Fayaz Ahmad Mir (PDP) and Shamsher Singh Manhas(BJP) will complete their innings on February 10, the six-year term of leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress) and Nazir Ahmad Laway( PDP) will end on February 15.
Nearly a month before formation of PDP-BJP government in 2015, Mir, Laway and Manhas managed to win after tacit understanding between the two parties. Azad emerged victorious due to support from National Conference and independent MLAs.
With J&K presently without Legislative Assembly, the UT could remain without representation in Rajya Sabha in absence of electoral college for these seats.
“MLAs of J&K UT Assembly constitute electoral college for these seats. There seems no chance of holding Assembly elections in J&K in near future due to ongoing delimitation process. So these seats could remain vacant for some time,” an official said.
It is worthwhile to mention here that J&K’s representation in Rajya Sabha as well as remaining term of its incumbent MPs was protected by The Jammu & Kashmir Re-Organisation Act enacted by the Parliament in August last year.
In March this year, the Centre had defined Electoral College for J&K’s Rajya Sabha seats by making amendments in the Representation of Peoples Act-1951.
According to the amendments notified in Jammu & Kashmir Re-Organization (adaptation of central laws) Order-2020, MLAs of J&K UT Legislative Assembly will constitute Electoral College for these seats—(KNO)
