New Delhi: BJP’s Devyani Rana has emerged victorious in J&K’s Nagrota bypoll, beating Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) president and former education minister Harsh Dev Singh by a margin of over 24,600 votes.
Devyani, who contested for the first time, received over 42,000 votes in a bypoll necessitated by the passing of her father and senior party leader Devender Singh Rana. Runner up Singh polled 17,700 votes, while National Conference leader and sitting District Development Council (DDC) member Shamim Begum came in third with just around 10,800 votes.
Devyani holds an economics degree from the University of California and manages her family’s media and automobile businesses.
Aga Syed Mahmood, contesting the bypoll in J&K’s Budgam on a National Conference (NC) ticket, was trailing by around 3,000 votes against leading candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at 1 pm. The seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had contested from two seats, decided to resign from the Budgam seat and retained Ganderbal.
The BJP fielded Aga Syed Mohsin, a local figure from the Shia community, as its candidate from Budgam. Mohsin was trailing in 6th place around 1 pm, behind three Independents.
This bypoll has been seen as a referendum on the performance of the Omar Abdullah-led NC government and its ability to deliver on promises made during the 2024 assembly elections. This is their first political test since completing a year in office last month. Nagrota has alternated between the BJP and the NC in five elections since 1996, while NC candidates have been winning Budgam since 1962 except in 1972, when Congress briefly held the seat.
In Budgam, the NC rift factor
Apart from being seen as a popularity test for Abdullah, the poll outcomes also highlight the internal strains within the party, especially between Abdullah and party MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi.
Considered his stronghold, Mehdi previously won Budgam in 2002, 2008, and 2014, before Abdullah’s victory in 2024. Mehdi kept himself away from the campaign, choosing not to support anyone.
Srinagar MP Mehdi has been at loggerheads with his own party over several issues including the new reservation policy. Mehdi has also criticised his own government for not delivering on poll promises such as the restoration of statehood.
In December last year, he had openly defied the party when he led a protest by Kashmiri students outside Abdullah’s residence. The NC’s Budgam candidate Aga Syed Mahmood is Mehdi’s relative. Ahead of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the party had promised to restore statehood as well as repeal the Public Safety Act, apart from restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status under Articles 370 and 35A.
“I have not forced anyone to campaign for us, but tomorrow when we win, those who did not support us in our victory cannot join our celebrations,” Omar said ahead of the election, in an apparent jibe at Mehdi.
The NC had deployed a battery of senior leaders, including the chief minister and cabinet members to garner support for Mahmood. The BJP too, had pressed into action senior party leaders as well as ministers to garner support for their candidate.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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