- By Chetna Shree
- Fri, 10 Oct 2025 11:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah has announced not to contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, citing health issues. This decision appears to bring an end to the 86-year-old bid for a seat in the Upper House. Following his decision, the party officially nominated three other candidates for the upcoming elections earlier today.
The NC is aiming to win three out of the total four Rajya Sabha seats allotted to Jammu and Kashmir. The deadline for filing nominations is October 13, following which polling is set to take place on October 24.
The party has officially nominated three candidates, including Chowdhry Ramzan, Sajad Kitchloo, and Shami Oberoi, for the Rajya Sabha elections. Despite a strong pro-NC wave in the last Assembly elections, both Ramzan and Kitchloo were unsuccessful in securing victories from Handwara and Kishtwar, respectively. Oberoi, a close aide of Omar Abdullah, holds the position of party treasurer.
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The NC has announced that it is leaving the fourth Rajya Sabha seat open for its alliance partner, Congress. However, the offer is more symbolic than substantial, NDTV quoted sources in Congress as saying.
The National Conference President opted out of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for later this month. The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir was admitted to a hospital in Srinagar for a week and was discharged only a few days ago.
Many had viewed the upcoming election as Abdullah’s final opportunity to represent Jammu and Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha. The NC had hoped to leverage his vast experience and strong cross-party ties at the national level, especially at a time when the prolonged delay in restoring J&K’s statehood, which the party argues has hindered the performance of Omar Abdullah’s government.