Ghulam Nabi Azad (File photo)
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced biennial polls to four Rajya Sabha berths from J&K and bypoll to a seat from Punjab. Polling for these seats will be held on October 24.The four RS seats from J&K have been vacant since Feb 2021. The UT was under President’s rule at the time, and it was only last year that assembly elections were held. The constitution of the legislative assembly has ensured the required electorate to conduct the polls to fill up the seats vacated upon the retirement of Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway. EC said the four vacancies are to be filled by holding three separate elections, in accordance with the law and a verdict of Delhi HC dated Jan 14, 1994. EC on Wednesday separately announced the RS bypoll to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of AAP member from Punjab Sanjeev Arora. He had resigned following his election to the Punjab assembly. Counting of votes for all five seats will take place in the evening of Oct 24, an hour after polling concludes. The bypoll yet again brings the focus on the governing AAP in Punjab. When Arora won the assembly bypoll, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal made it clear he was not going to RS. Every time speculation over the issue has gained momentum in the past, the grapevine has been abuzz with names of senior AAP netas Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain as probables.
