BJP’s crucial Parliamentary board meeting tomorrow in New Delhi, likely to finalise and announce Rajya Sabha candidates for J&K
Ishtiyaq Kar
Srinagar, Oct 11 (KINS): A decisive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary Board is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on Sunday evening, where the party is expected to finalize and announce its Rajya Sabha candidates for Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting as per news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior members of the board, will determine the BJP’s strategy and nominate the final candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections on four seats of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the party leaders, the J&K BJP unit has already submitted a panel of probables to the central leadership for consideration.
The list includes former Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh, former J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, current J&K BJP president Sat Sharma, and the party’s chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi.
Reports also suggest that the name of senior BJP leader Choudhary Sham Lal is being discussed within the party circles.
Speaking to KINS, BJP Chief Spokesperson Sunil Sethi confirmed that the Parliamentary board meeting will take place tomorrow evening and that the party is determined to contest strongly in the Rajya Sabha polls.
“The Parliamentary Board meeting will be held tomorrow in New Delhi, where the final list of candidates will likely be approved. It is for sure that we will contest at least three seats, and there are chances that we may contest all four,” Sethi said.
He added that the final decision will reflect the party’s organizational feedback and regional balance, incorporating recommendations from both the central leadership and the J&K unit.
“The Parliamentary Board’s decision will be based on consensus and strategy. The leadership has taken detailed feedback, and the final announcement is expected tomorrow,” said a senior BJP functionary.
The last date for filing nominations for the four vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir is October 13, 2025.
Regarding the Nagrota and Budgam seats, sources said the BJP Parliamentary Board may finalise the names during Sunday’s meeting, or the decision could be taken in a separate meeting at a later date.
While the National Conference (NC) has already announced its three candidates — Choudhary Muhammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, and Sajad Kichloo — BJP leaders have maintained that the NC’s move does not unsettle their strategy.
“While the NC has made its decision early, the BJP remains confident and well-prepared. Our process involves thorough consultation to ensure strong and representative candidates,” said a senior BJP leader from Jammu, adding that “the final list will strike the right political and regional balance.”
Meanwhile, a BJP core committee meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah was held earlier today to review the party’s strategy for the upcoming Bihar elections. Though it remains unclear whether the J&K Rajya Sabha elections were formally discussed, sources hinted that the issue “may have come up briefly.”
“The moment the Parliamentary Board clears the name, the selected candidate will file nomination papers before the October 13 deadline,” a senior BJP source confirmed.
The four Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant in February 2021 when terms of PDP MPs — Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway — BJP’s Shamsher Singh, and Ghulam Nabi Azad (then Congress) ended.
However, the vacancies could not be filled up as Jammu & Kashmir was under President’s Rule following the 2019 reorganisation of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir State into two UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Legislative Assembly in the UT of J&K was constituted after Assembly polls in November 2024. (KINS)
Cabinet Minister in Omar Abdullah Govt says, ‘full-fledged Darbar Move this year’
KINS Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 11 (KINS): A Cabinet Minister in the Omar Abdullah-led Union Territory Government said that the Darbar Move—the historic biannual shifting of the Civil Secretariat between Srinagar and Jammu—will fully resume this year.
Speaking briefly over the phone with news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), the Minister said that the decision was taken in the Cabinet, though he requested not to be quoted by name.
“It was decided in the cabinet that the full-fledged Darbar Move will take place this year,” he said.
This confirmation comes after Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmad Rana had earlier indicated in August that the government was planning to restore the tradition.
“This year we would restore the Darbar Move,” Rana had told KINS in August.
The Darbar Move was introduced in 1872 by Maharaja Gulab Singh. Under this practice, the Civil Secretariat and key government offices would operate from Srinagar during summer and Jammu during winter.
However, the practice was stopped in 2021 by the then Lieutenant Governor’s administration, which cited an annual saving of nearly Rs 200 crore to the exchequer as the reason for discontinuation.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has consistently maintained that his government would restore the tradition once back in power.
In December last year, Omar had said, “We assure you that the Darbar Move will be restored. Jammu holds its own importance, and we will not allow its uniqueness to diminish.”
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary has time and again also supported the move, saying it benefits the local economy of Jammu and creates jobs for many.(KINS)
