Tariq Khan CNI

JAMMU, Aug 3: The Election Commission of India is expected to shortly take call on holding by-elections to two Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir which have been lying vacant for past over nine months now amid indications that Special Summary

Revision is also expected to be ordered in the month of September.Jammu travel guideIndian cuisine recipesSources told that though special voter revision for both vacant Assembly seats-Nagrota in Jammu division and Budgam in

Kashmir division-has already been held, the Commission will soon take a call on whether these two constituencies will have by-poll along with Bihar Assembly elections or not.Generally, the Election Commission holds by-poll along with Assembly election in a State.

However, if the Assembly polls are not due in any State/UT, they can be held separately. Assembly elections in Bihar are expected to be held in the month of October. Weather-wise the month of October is considered good for elections in Jammu and

Kashmir as Assembly elections in the UT were also held in September-October last year.However, there have been strong indications that Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls could also be ordered in Jammu and Kashmir along with rest parts of the country.

Normally, the Special Summary Revision starts in September and final electoral rolls are published in the first week of January.Budgam Assembly seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retained Ganderbal seat and vacated Budgam. He won election from both the seats. He quit Budgam seat after taking oath in the month of October.

Few days later, BJP senior leader Devender Singh Rana, who won Nagrota seat, passed away.Both the seats are lying vacant now for past over nine months.Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has strength of 95 including 90 elected MLAs and five nominated. Present strength of the House has come down to 88 in view of two vacancies.Five MLAs haven’t yet been nominated.

There has been a provision for nomination of two Women, two Kashmir Pandits, one of them a Woman and one Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee, to the Legislative Assembly.The nominated MLAs will have voting rights which will take majority mark in the Legislative Assembly to 48. The National Conference along with its allies has comfortable majority in the House.As already reported, besides two Assembly seats, four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir are also vacant for last about four and a half years.

All four Rajya Sabha members from J&K, elected in the last elections in February 2015, had completed their term in February 2021.However, elections for the Rajya Sabha vacancies couldn’t be held initially in the absence of Legislature and now for unknown reasons.