Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) announced on Sunday that it will boycott the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for four seats scheduled for October 24, 2025. The decision, revealed by JKPCC president Tariq Hamid Karra after a marathon meeting of party leaders in Srinagar, stems from the National Conference (NC) refusing to offer Congress a "safe seat" in the high-stakes polls, exposing cracks in their partnership.

Karra, addressing a packed press conference, laid bare the Congress leadership’s frustration. The party’s central leadership had pushed for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats contested separately, which are considered more secure due to voting dynamics in the 90-member J&K Legislative Assembly. However, the NC, leveraging its dominant position with 42 MLAs, offered Congress only the fourth seat, contested under a common notification and deemed far riskier. “After extensive deliberations, all participants unanimously agreed that seat four is not safe like seat one or two,” Karra declared. “Since the safe seat was not offered to us, we don’t want to contest on seat four.”

The NC has already named its three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, signaling confidence in securing all three with its assembly strength, even without Congress’s support. The party’s nominees—veteran leaders with deep regional influence—are virtually assured victory, given the NC’s numerical edge and backing from six allied MLAs, including four independents. However, the fourth seat, which the ruling alliance hopes to sweep, hangs in the balance. To clinch it, the alliance’s candidate would need every anti-BJP vote, including those from the three MLAs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and single representatives from the People’s Conference, Awami Ittehad Party, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Karra hinted at leaving the decision to the NC, stating, “We will leave it to our alliance partners to see what they think about that.”

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The boycott decision underscores simmering discontent within the alliance, which was forged to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent assembly elections, where the NC-Congress combine secured a majority. Congress, with six MLAs, has been a junior partner, but the seat-sharing snub has sparked outrage among its ranks. Insiders revealed that the marathon meeting also tackled broader grievances, including governance lapses and administrative bottlenecks under the NC-led government of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “Some legislators raised concerns about how the alliance is functioning,” Karra admitted, though he emphasized the focus remained on the Rajya Sabha strategy.

The meeting also touched on the upcoming by-elections for two assembly seats—Budgam in Kashmir and Nagrota in Jammu—triggered by vacancies after the recent polls. Karra disclosed that party leaders offered critical inputs on candidate selection and campaign strategies, which will be relayed to Congress’s central leadership in New Delhi for final approval. “We will open our channels with the NC and discuss these points,” he said, signaling an intent to mend ties despite the Rajya Sabha rift. The bypolls, seen as a test of the alliance’s cohesion, could further strain relations if seat-sharing disputes persist.

The Congress’s withdrawal from the Rajya Sabha race has raised eyebrows across J&K’s political landscape, with analysts warning it could embolden the BJP, which holds 29 seats and is eyeing the fourth seat to bolster its Upper House presence. Political observers note that the NC’s decision to field three candidates reflects its intent to consolidate power, but alienating Congress risks destabilizing the alliance at a critical juncture. The PDP, led by Mehbooba Mufti, has remained non-committal, with its three votes potentially pivotal for the fourth seat. Meanwhile, smaller parties like the People’s Conference and AAP are under pressure to align with the ruling coalition to thwart the BJP’s ambitions.

As J&K braces for the October 24 polls, the Congress’s boycott casts a long shadow over the NC’s victory lap. Karra’s measured tone belied the underlying tension, as he reiterated the party’s commitment to the alliance’s broader goals while signaling a firm stand against being sidelined. “Our inputs will guide our next steps,” he said, leaving open the possibility of renewed negotiations. For now, the Congress’s absence from the Rajya Sabha fray marks a bold protest, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown that could reshape J&K’s political fault lines.

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