Srinagar, Sep 27 (KNS): Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday welcomed the Election Commission of India’s decision to hold long-pending Rajya Sabha elections from the Union Territory, saying the absence of J&K’s voice in the Upper House for the last five years had pushed local concerns into silence at the national level.

“For five years, Jammu and Kashmir had no representation in the Rajya Sabha. As a result, our issues were not highlighted in Parliament,” Azad said, while speaking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), calling the announcement “a necessary correction” and “a relief for the people who had gone unheard.”

Azad underlined the distinction between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha representation, stressing the strategic importance of the Upper House seats for J&K. “A Rajya Sabha member is not like a Lok Sabha MP who represents only his constituency. A Rajya Sabha MP represents the entire state. That voice was missing,” he said as per KNS.

Acknowledging the contribution of J&K’s Lok Sabha MPs, he said that the members of J&K in the Lok Sabha have remained active so far. "I hope whosoever comes to the Rajya Sabha now will also remain active and raise the problems of the people.”

Since February 2021, all four Rajya Sabha seats allocated to Jammu and Kashmir have remained vacant.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThe reorganization of the former state into two Union Territories in August 2019, followed by the absence of a Legislative Assembly, meant there was no electoral college to nominate Rajya Sabha members.

With the recent constitution of the J&K Legislative Assembly following the 2024 elections, the Election Commission has now moved to fill the vacancies, issuing schedules for the selection of new members to the Upper House.

Azad said this decision comes not a moment too soon. “Thanks to the ECI for announcing the elections now. Whoever comes as a Rajya Sabha member will finally be able to highlight our issues,” he said.

Azad said that the selection of candidates would ultimately rest with party leaderships. “It remains with the party leadership whom they nominate,” he said, but expressed hope that parties would choose individuals with the ability and intent to speak for the people.

The former Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Azad himself held a seat in the Upper House before resigning from the Congress in 2022.

Azad said the return of J&K’s voice to the national forum was essential not just for political symbolism, but governance.“Rajya Sabha is where states speak. For five years, Jammu and Kashmir had no one to speak there. That silence must end,” he added.(KNS)