Srinagar: The autumn session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly began on Thursday with the House paying tributes to several leaders who passed away recently.
Before the proceedings started, legislators from the ruling National Conference (NC) and Congress staged a silent protest within the Assembly premises, demanding the release of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik. Malik was arrested in September under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing public order in Doda district.
Soon after the House assembled, NC MLA from Sonawari, Hilal Lone, raised the issue of Malik’s arrest. However, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather asked him to take his seat, assuring that he would be given time to speak later.
Emphasizing the need to make full use of the nine-day session, the Speaker said, “We have limited time and should try to make optimum use of it.” He added that several leaders had passed away between the third and fourth sessions, and the House would pay tribute to them.
The session opened with obituary references honouring former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik, who died on August 5. Other leaders remembered included former minister Gulchain Singh Charak, ex-MLA Dina Nath Bhagat, former MLCs Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, Ramesh Arora and Sardar Mohammad Akhlaq Khan, and former legislator Mohammad Sultan Pandithpori.
On Friday, the House will elect four members to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir. The seats have remained vacant since 2021 due to the delay in Assembly elections.
While three NC candidates are expected to win comfortably given the current Assembly strength, the fourth seat is likely to witness a tight contest between veteran BJP leader Sat Pal Sharma and young NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar. Dar will require support from his party colleagues as well as members of the PDP, Awami Ittehad Party, and AAP.
The session is expected to be stormy, with key issues such as the restoration of statehood, the reservation policy, and the regularisation of thousands of daily wagers likely to dominate discussions.
As the NC government marked its first anniversary in office last week, the opposition is also preparing to question the ruling party over promises made in its election manifesto.
According to officials, MLAs have submitted around 450 questions, 13 private members’ bills, and over 50 resolutions for debate during the autumn session. The House will also take up nearly three dozen pending bills introduced during the budget session.
