Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah faced a major setback after his party Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), the party suffered defeats in both constituencies it contested during the recent bypolls. The Election Commission announced the results on Friday, confirming that the Omar’s party failed to retain the Budgam seat and finished third in Nagrota.
Notably, the Budgam by-election was necessitated after Omar Abdullah vacated the seat in 2024, having also won from Ganderbal in the same Assembly elections.
PDP Clinches Budgam
In Budgam, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, emerged victorious with 21,576 votes. NC’s contender, Aga Syed Mahmood Al-Mosvai, secured 17,098 votes, falling short by 4,478. Mehdi’s win pushed the PDP’s overall strength in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to four seats.
The outcome is being viewed as a symbolic triumph for Mehbooba Mufti’s party, particularly since Omar Abdullah had won Budgam in the 2024 Assembly elections. Political observers believe the verdict reflects growing voter sentiment around the first year of the Omar Abdullah government’s performance since returning to power.
BJP Retains Nagrota, Strengthens Jammu Base
Over in the Jammu division, the National Conference suffered another blow in Nagrota, where its candidate, Shamim Begum, finished a distant third with 10,872 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Devyani Rana secured a decisive victory with 42,350 votes, while Hars Dev Singh of the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (India) came second with 17,703 votes.
The by-election in Nagrota was held following the death of sitting MLA Devender Singh Rana in October 2024. Devyani, a 30-year-old economics graduate from the University of California, carried forward her late father’s political legacy, clinching the seat by an impressive margin of over 24,600 votes.
The results seem to reaffirm the BJP’s dominance in the Jammu region. With Devyani Rana’s victory, the BJP’s total in the J&K Assembly has climbed back to 29, solidifying its position in the region.
For the National Conference, however, the outcome serves as a wake-up call, underscoring the party’s waning influence across both regions of the Union Territory.