STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Campaigning for the high-stakes Nagrota and Budgam Assembly by-election concluded on Sunday evening, with all candidates making their final appeals to voters ahead of polling on November 11.
The bypoll in Nagrota was necessitated by the death of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana last year and has shaped up into a triangular contest among BJP’s Devyani Rana, National Conference’s (NC) Shamim Begum, and J&K National Panthers Party president Harsh Dev Singh.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s Joginder Singh, Apni Party’s Bodh Raj, and five others, including three independents, are also trying their luck from the constituency, which has 97,893 registered voters and 150 polling stations.
In Nagrota, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh joined the campaign trail, lending momentum in its final phase. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, several ministers, and provincial leaders of the NC also held a series of rallies in support of Begum.
BJP president Sat Sharma and party MLAs campaigned for Devyani Rana, who wrapped up her outreach with a series of meetings across the constituency.
She said her political journey was guided by her father’s vision of a progressive Nagrota and vowed to continue his developmental initiatives.
“This election is not just about politics, it is about trust and service. I will dedicate myself to the welfare of every section of society,” she said, urging voters to turn out in large numbers on polling day.
An official in the election office said the campaigning ended peacefully at 6 pm and now the focus would be on ensuring peaceful voting, followed by the results on November 14.
NC nominee Shamim Begum appealed to voters to support her party’s development-oriented agenda, saying the NC government had laid the foundation for progress in Nagrota.
“We will build upon that legacy and work to strengthen public services and empowerment,” Begum, who is a district development council member, said.
The NC fielded Begum after its coalition partner, Congress, declined the offer to contest the seat.
Harsh Dev Singh, a former minister, called upon voters to “choose merit over emotion,” asserting that Nagrota needed a representative who could focus on genuine development and accountability.
Since the 1996 Assembly elections, the BJP has won the Nagrota seat three times — 2002, 2008, and 2024 — while the NC secured victories twice in 1996 and 2014.
Devender Singh Rana had twice represented Nagrota — in 2014 and 2024 — winning the last election with a record margin of 30,472 votes against his NC rival Joginder Singh after switching to the BJP from the NC in 2021.
In Budgam, the ruling National Conference and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party made last-ditch efforts to woo voters.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his advisor Nasir Aslam Wani joined party candidate Aga Syed Mehmood for a roadshow, which passed through the urban areas of Budgam assembly segment.
Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also embarked on a roadshow in support of her party candidate Aga Syed Muntazir.
There are 17 candidates in fray for the Budgam bypoll, where voting will be held on Tuesday.
Besides Mehmood and Muntazir, other key candidates include Bharatiya Janata Party’s Syed Mohsin, Awami Ittehad Party’s Nazir Ahmad Khan, Aam Aadmi Party’s Deeba Khan, and independent candidate Muntazir Mohiuddin.
A bypoll was necessitated in Budgam as Omar Abdullah vacated the seat, retaining Ganderbal after winning both the constituencies in the 2024 assembly elections.
Budgam has been a bastion of National Conference, with Aga Ruhullah Mehdi winning the seat in the 2002, 2008 and 2014 assembly polls before Abdullah won it in 2024.
Mehdi, who is now a Lok Sabha member after winning from Srinagar on the National Conference ticket, has since fallen out with the party leadership over several issues, including the current reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mehdi did not campaign for the party candidate for the upcoming by-election.
On the last day of campaigning, Abdullah, who has addressed several election rallies in the last three days, focused on Budgam’s development.
At a roadside meeting in Ompora, which connects Budgam town to Srinagar, Abdullah said, “I have heard Ompora’s voice. The electricity issues are being fixed and the road to Ompora is now declared NH-44A. Together, we’re bringing a real change, not just promises.”
The PDP also made a last-minute pitch, saying that Budgam’s problems have never been addressed in the last 50 years.
The BJP also put up an intensive campaign with senior leaders, including the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Sunil Sharma, canvassing for party candidate Syed Mohsin.
Other leaders who campaigned for Mohsin included Rajya Sabha member Ghulam Ali Khatana and party general secretary Ashok Koul.
Meanwhile, the Budgam District Magistrate has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita across the district from 6 pm on November 9 to 6 pm on November 11, marking the start of the election silence period.
All unlawful assemblies, public meetings, rallies, and election-related gatherings are banned under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to ensure peaceful polling, the order read.