Srinagar, Apr 18 (KNO): Authorities spent Rs 73548 on conducting the Rajya Sabha elections in the Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory in October 2025.
According to official documents accessed by news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the J&K Election Department had transferred Rs 1 lakh for the exercise, out of which Rs 73548 was utilized to make necessary arrangements for polls to four vacant Rajya Sabha seats.
The documents reveal that Rs 21150 was spent on honorarium and refreshments for officers and officials deployed on election duty. The remaining Rs 52398 was utilized to cover other essential arrangements required for the electoral process.
The Rajya Sabha polls in Jammu & Kashmir were held on October 24, 2025 to fill seats that had remained vacant since 2021- the year when the last members from the Union Territory completed their tenures. The vacancies could not be filled earlier due to the non-availability of an electorate (MLAs).
In the Rajya Sabha polls, the National Conference won three seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party one seat, despite being short of numbers.
As many as eight MLAs, who had pledged support to the ruling NC-led alliance, cross-voted or cancelled their votes to help the BJP win a seat.
It is rumoured in political circles that the BJP also managed to secure support from legislator(s) belonging to a party considered its arch-rival—(KNO)