A total of seven candidates, including senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, were left in the fray for elections to the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir after the scrutiny of the nomination papers concluded today.
The Returning Officer for the Rajya sabha elections today issued the list of seven validly nominated candidates after the scrutiny of their nomination papers, an official spokesman said.
The candidates in the fray for the four Rajya Sabha seats include Mir Mohammad Fayaz (PDP), Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo (NC), Shamsher Singh (BJP), Nasir Aslam Wani (NC), Nazir Ahmad Laway (PDP), Chander Mohan Sharma (BJP) and Ghulam Nabi Azad (INC), he said.
While BJP and PDP has fielded two candidates each under seat sharing arrangements, NC-Congress has also jointly fielded 3 candidates, including Azad in the forthcoming polls.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed on January 31 and the election for these seats is scheduled to be held on February 7.
BJP and PDP are hopeful of winning all the four seats in a seat sharing arrangement and are fighting polls in coordination.
PDP Spokesman Nayeem Akhtar said "There is a limited purpose (in fighting polls in coordination). Our purpose is that we should win two seats each. So we have done seat sharing arrangements (with BJP)."
Akhtar said, "We cannot win even a seat on 28 MLAs. So it becomes necessary to fight elections in coalition with some other party so is it for BJP to fight elections jointly with some party."
Asked about whether BJP has joined hands with PDP to win the Rajya Sabha polls jointly, BJP state unit Chief and Jammu MP, Jugal Kishore today said "we cannot win elections on our own so we have to have support of some other party".
Azad, who filed his nomination as a joint candidate of NC-Congress, yesterday hoped to win the seat.
When asked they fought the Assembly elections against each other, he said that "there was fight between personalities from time to time and even in families, but once it comes to principles, two parties have same basic principles".
On fighting the Rajya Sabha elections jointly by PDP and BJP, NC Provincial President Devender Singh Rana said "BJP and PDP are fighting Rajya Sabha elections in coalition. So we have also jointly fielded three candidates to give them a tough contest".
