PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir wins J-K’s Budgam bypoll, beats ruling NC
Shadow Correspondent
Jammu, NOv 14:
As the counting of ballots for the Nagrota seat in Jammu and Kashmir bypolls concluded, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Devyani Rana was declared the winner with 24,526 votes. Harshdev Singh of the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (India) finished second with 17,688 votes. Shamim Begum of the National Conference received 10,846 votes, placing third overall.
The voting for the Budgam and Nagrota bypolls concluded on Tuesday. Devyani’s win was on expected lines as his father was a sitting MLA. The bypolls were necessitated after the death of the BJP’s sitting MLA and Devyani’s father, Devender Singh Rana.
Devyani (30) is a second-generation politician after her father. Within days after her father’s death, the BJP reposed trust in her given probably due to the loyal vote of her late father. Once the bye-elections were announced, the BJP gave the mandate to Devyani to cash in on the sympathy wave.
Besides, her father’s political background – her maternal grandfather, SS Ballowria, was a former Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, whereas her maternal grandmother, Rani Ballowria, was a Member of the Legislative Council as well.
Devyani has done a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. After completing her education, she took over the family business, including Take One television network and Jamkash vehicleades.
BJP’s Devyani Rana
Before the counting, all the electronic voting machines for the Nagrota Assembly constituency were stored in a secure room at the Government Polytechnic College, Jammu, where security had been enhanced, and CCTV cameras had been installed throughout the premises to ensure that no unauthorised personnel were allowed near the area.
Preparations for the counting of votes have already begun, with candidates from different political parties finalising the counting agents who will enter the counting centres on the day the ballots are counted.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, National Conference (NC) candidate for Nagrota, Shamim Begum, had said she was happy with the way voting was held. “I believe that people have voted in huge numbers, which will surely help our cause. We are confident of our victory as we have got votes from every part of the constituency,” she said.
On the other hand, the BJP is also confident of victory and believes that the people of Nagrota have reposed faith in Devyani Rana, as they did last year when they voted for her father, Devender Singh Rana.
“We are hopeful that Nagrota has given a huge mandate to the BJP, and Devyani Rana will emerge victorious. It is only a matter of time before she becomes the MLA from the Nagrota constituency,” said Pankaj Sharma, a BJP leader from the Jindrah area of Nagrota constituency. “Other candidates are far behind the BJP, and we are waiting to see whether the victory margin will be greater than that of the 2024 win or less,” he added.
There are a total of 10 candidates in the fray, but the contest was mainly between the BJP, the NC, and the National Panthers Party. The seat fell vacant after the death of Devender Rana on October 31 last year.
The results of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly bypolls were declared on Friday, with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) winning the Budgam seat and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retaining Nagrota.
The constituency, one of the most competitive in the bypolls, saw 17 candidates contesting, including representatives from the Apni Party and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP).
In Budgam, PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi defeated his closest rival, Aga Syed Mehmood of the National Conference (NC), securing a lead of over 4478 votes.
PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi tsaid that voters have opted for accountability and change in the constituency. “The people have voted for change and accountability,” he said, adding that Budgam district, which he said had been ignored over the past year, will now be represented effectively in the Assembly.
The PDP’s campaign gained momentum amid internal divisions within the NC.
Senior Shia leader and former three-time MLA and now MP Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi had publicly refused to campaign for the NC candidate, citing delays in implementing the Reservation Sub-Committee report, issues with smart electricity meters, and perceived backtracking on statehood and Article 370.
Ruhullah requested that his name or image not be used in the NC campaign. Party workers celebrated the win across Budgam soon after results were announced.
In Nagrota, BJP candidate Devyani Rana defeated Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) by a margin of over 21,000 votes.
The NC candidate, Shamim Begum, finished third with just over 10,000 votes. Devyani Rana, the daughter of late MLA Devender Singh Rana, entered politics following her father’s death on October 31, 2024. Her victory marks the BJP’s continued presence in the Jammu region.
The Budgam bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had won both Ganderbal and Budgam seats in the 2024 Assembly elections and chose to represent Ganderbal.
The Nagrota bypoll followed the death of Devender Singh Rana.
