The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that elections for four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir will be held on October 24, 2025. These seats have been vacant since February 2021.

Alongside, the by-election for one Rajya Sabha seat in Punjab, which became vacant on July 1 after the resignation of AAP leader Sanjeev Arora, will also take place on the same day. Voting will be held from 9 am to 4 pm, and the counting of votes will begin at 5 pm.

Why Were Jammu and Kashmir Rajya Sabha Seats Vacant?

The four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir fell vacant in February 2021, after the terms of MPs Mir Mohammad Fayaz, Shamsher Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Nazir Ahmed Laway ended.

At that time, Jammu and Kashmir was under President’s Rule and had no Assembly in place, which made it impossible to conduct the elections.

In November 2024, Jammu and Kashmir finally got its first elected Assembly as a Union Territory after the region’s reorganization in 2019. With the Assembly now functional, the required electorate is available to conduct the Rajya Sabha elections.

EC’s Stand on Staggering Rajya Sabha Terms

Earlier this year, the Election Commission requested the Union Law and Justice Ministry to issue a Presidential order that would stagger the terms of these four Rajya Sabha seats.

The idea was to ensure that the terms of all four seats do not expire together. However, in August 2025, the Law Ministry rejected the proposal, stating there is no such provision in the law.

Constitutional Context

According to Article 83 of the Indian Constitution, the Rajya Sabha is a permanent House where one-third of members retire every two years.

But because of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir for several years, the terms of all four Rajya Sabha seats are set to expire together, breaking the usual cycle.

Key Takeaway

The Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir on October 24, 2025, will mark a significant moment in the region’s parliamentary representation. With the Assembly now active, the elections will fill a four-year gap and bring Jammu and Kashmir’s voices back to the Upper House of Parliament.

The Punjab bypoll scheduled for the same day will also decide the replacement for AAP’s Sanjeev Arora.