Notification issued for 3 elections for 8 seats

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 11: Returning Officer, Mohammad Ramzan, Secretary Legislative Assembly today issued three notifications for holding elections for biennial elections to eight seats of Legislative Council on March 7. Eights members of the Upper House are retiring on March 16 and the election is being held to fill the vacancies.
Excelsior had exclusively reported earlier that three separate elections would be held for eight seats including one for four seats of Kashmir division, another for three seats of Jammu division and third for one reserved seat of Doda district.
According to the notification issued by Mr Ramzan, who has been appointed as Returning Officer for the elections, the candidates can file nomination papers till 3 pm on February 18. Scrutiny of the documents would be held the next day at 11 am while candidates can withdraw their nomination papers till February 21.
Election for the eight seats, if required, will take place on March 7 between 10 am to 2 pm in the Central Hall of Legislature. Counting will start immediately after the election process was over and the results would be declared the same day.
While the Election Commission had appointed Mohammad Ramzan as the Returning Officer for the election, Deputy Secretary of the Legislative Assembly has been appointed as the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO).
The candidates can submit their nomination forms to either the RO or the ARO any day from today onwards from 11 am to 3 pm till February 18.
The notification issued by the Returning Officer said the elections would be held to elect four members of Legislative Council from amongst the persons, who are residents of the province of Kashmir and are not members of Legislative Assembly and four members from amongst the persons, who are residents of the province of Jammu and are not members of Legislative Assembly provided that of the members so elected from Jammu province, at least one of them shall be a resident of Doda district.
The notification meant that there would be three elections for eight seats of the Legislative Council i.e. an MLA would be entitled to cast three separate votes-one for four seats of Kashmir division, second for three seats of Jammu division and third for one reserved seat of Doda district.
Eight MLCs, who are retiring on March 16 necessitating the election, included Devender Singh Rana, former Political Advisor to Chief Minister and provincial president of National Conference, his party colleague Mohammad Yusuf Taing, RS Chib, former Medical Education Minister, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Ali Mohammad Bhat and Naresh Gupta (all from Congress), Nizam-ud-Din Khatana and Murtaza Khan (both from PDP).
All 89 members of the Lower House (87 elected plus two nominated women) constituted Electoral College for eight vacancies of the Upper House.
Mr Chib resigned from the Cabinet in January 15 reshuffle. He was the lone MLC, who had been made Cabinet Minister in Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led coalition Government. Mr Rana had resigned as Political Advisor to the Chief Minister the same day and then took charge as provincial president of the party.
Four MLCs, who had been elected from Kashmir division, were Mohammad Yusuf Taing (NC), Mohammad Amin Bhat and Ali Mohammad Bhat (Congress) and Nizam-ud-Din Khatana (PDP). Three MLCs from Jammu division, who would complete their term, are Devender Singh Rana (NC), RS Chib (Congress) and Murtaza Khan (PDP). Naresh Gupta (Congress) would complete his term from Doda reserve seat.
Gupta was elected to the Upper House after Mohammad Sharief Niaz won the Assembly by-poll from Bhaderwah segment, which was vacated by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on being elected to the Rajaya Sabha. After his election to the Assembly, Mr Niaz had quite membership of the Upper House.
Mr Gupta got only remaining period of the term of Mr Niaz i.e. about four years. Rest all MLCs, who were completing their term on March 16, got six years in the Upper House.
As reported, going by the composition of the Assembly, the major opposition party, the PDP would be in a position to get one of its members elected from four seats of Kashmir region. However, it could be a tough call for the party to get its member elected from Jammu region, where election would be held for three seats only unless it gets the support of some of the other opposition parties and Independent MLAs. A separate election would be held for the seat reserved for Doda, which the coalition would capture.
Sources said the role of seven BJP rebel MLAs would also be crucial.

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