**J&K Congress to Skip Rajya Sabha Polls, Blames National Conference for Seat Allocation Dispute**
*By Snehil Singh | October 13, 2025, 10:53 AM*
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) has announced that it will not contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for October 24, citing disagreements with its alliance partner, the National Conference (NC), over seat allocation.
**Congress Denies ‘Safe Seat’ in Rajya Sabha Polls**
The decision came after a meeting of party leaders, where JKPCC state president Tariq Hamid Karra revealed that the Congress was denied a “safe seat” by the NC. “We wanted seat number 1 or 2. But they offered us seat number 4,” Karra explained.
“Keeping this in mind, all participants at the meeting were of the opinion that seat four is not as safe as seat one or two. We will leave it to our alliance partners to see what they think about that,” he added.
The discussion also covered the broader alliance dynamics, Rajya Sabha polls, and impending by-elections for two Assembly seats — Budgam and Nagrota.
**Political Tensions Surface Between Congress and NC**
A senior Congress leader accused the ruling National Conference of attempting to appease the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by sidelining a Congress candidate from the Rajya Sabha contest.
Responding to the allegations, Nasir Aslam Wani, adviser to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, stated that talks between the NC and Congress are ongoing. He indicated that if Congress chooses not to contest, the NC would field its own candidate for the fourth seat to contest against the BJP.
**NC Confident of Rajya Sabha Victory Regardless of Alliance**
The National Conference has announced three candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections and expressed confidence in securing their victory, with or without alliance support.
However, the fourth candidate representing the ruling alliance will require the support of all anti-BJP votes to win. This is particularly crucial given the current scenario in the Assembly.
**By-Elections and Rajya Sabha Vacancies**
The upcoming by-elections for the Budgam and Nagrota Assembly seats follow the vacancy created by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacating the Budgam seat and the passing of BJP legislator Davinder Singh Rana.
Notably, all four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir have remained vacant since February 2021. Out of the 90-member J&K Assembly, 88 members are currently sitting. The support of MLAs from the PDP, People’s Conference, Awami Ittehad Party, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be critical for the ruling alliance candidate’s success in the crucial fourth Rajya Sabha seat.
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*Stay tuned for more updates on the Jammu and Kashmir political developments.*
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/politics/j-k-congress-relinquishes-rajya-sabha-seat-claim-blames-national-conference/story