The Election Commission of India has announced that voting to fill four vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir will take place on October 24. These seats have been lying vacant since 2021, marking nearly four years without representation for the Union Territory in the Upper House. Alongside, a bypoll for one Rajya Sabha seat in Punjab, vacated earlier this year, will also be conducted on the same date.
By-election announced for 4 Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu & Kashmir. Voting and counting to be held on October 24th. All four seats have been vacant since February 2021. pic.twitter.com/N3723LrGGi
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2025
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Four Vacant Seats In Jammu And Kashmir
The four seats from Jammu and Kashmir have remained unfilled since February 2021 when the terms of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Nazir Ahmad Laway, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, and Shamsher Singh Manhas ended. At the time, elections could not be held due to the absence of an elected Assembly in the Union Territory, which was under President’s Rule.
With the formation of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly following the Union Territory’s first Assembly elections in 2024, the required electorate is now in place. This development has paved the way for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections, restoring the region’s representation in the Upper House of Parliament after a long gap.
Punjab Bypoll Scheduled
In addition to Jammu and Kashmir, a bypoll will be held in Punjab to fill the vacancy left by Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjeev Arora. Arora resigned earlier this year following his election to the Punjab Assembly, though his original Rajya Sabha term was scheduled to end in April 2028.
Polling for both Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab will take place from 9 am to 4 pm on October 24, with counting set to begin at 5 pm the same evening, the Election Commission confirmed.
