The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on September 24 that by-elections for four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu & Kashmir will be held on October 24, 2025, ending a prolonged absence of Upper House representation for the region.
These Rajya Sabha seats have remained vacant since February 2021, after the terms of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Nazir Ahmed Laway, Fayaz Ahmed Mir, and Shamsher Singh Manhas ended, and the lack of a legislature in J&K prevented fresh polls. With the revival of the J&K Legislative Assembly last year, the necessary electorate is now in place.
The ECI announced a clear timeline for the election: it will issue the notification on October 6, accept nominations until October 13, conduct scrutiny on October 14, and allow withdrawals up to October 16. Polling will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and counting begins at 5 p.m. the same day.
Since the vacancies arose on different dates, the Commission will hold three separate elections—one each for the first two seats and a third for the remaining pair. The newly elected members’ terms will be subject to the decision of the Supreme Court in a pending case (ECI vs. Devesh Chandra Thakur & Others).
To ensure fairness and transparency, the ECI directed returning officers to provide only integrated violet-coloured sketch pens for marking preferences. It also appointed observers to monitor the process. With this schedule, Jammu & Kashmir regains a long-awaited voice in the parliamentary upper chamber.
