J&K Bypolls: Budgam Sees First Ever NC Defeat as PDP Triumphs; BJP Dominates Nagrota

In a seismic political upset that reverberated across Jammu and Kashmir, People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Muntazir decisively defeated National Conference's Aga Mahmood in the Budgam Assembly bypoll, shattering the NC's uninterrupted dominance since 1972 and inflicting the first-ever electoral loss in what was long regarded as the ruling party's unbreakable stronghold under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's nascent administration.

The by-election in Budgam was precipitated when Omar Abdullah, having secured victories in both Budgam and Ganderbal during the 2024 Assembly polls, opted to retain Ganderbal and vacate the former; among 17 contenders, Muntazir rode a powerful wave of anti-incumbency, channeling widespread public anger over the NC government's failure to deliver on flagship pledges such as 200 units of free electricity, 12 subsidized LPG cylinders annually, large-scale job creation, and resistance to smart power meters alongside a contentious reservation policy.

Exacerbating the National Conference's predicament, prominent Shia leader and Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah Mehdi conspicuously abstained from campaigning for the NC nominee, citing deep-seated dissatisfaction with the Omar-led government's priorities and performance, a move that not only exposed internal rifts within the ruling coalition but also amplified grassroots disillusionment that ultimately toppled decades of electoral invincibility in Budgam.

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In stark contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) solidified its foothold in Jammu by retaining the Nagrota Assembly seat, where Devyani Rana—daughter of the late sitting MLA Devender Singh Rana—clinched a commanding victory with 42,350 votes and an overwhelming margin of 24,647 over her closest rival, JKNPP's Harsh Dev Singh, who managed 17,703 votes, while NC candidate Shamim Begum trailed with 10,872 in a field of 10 contestants triggered by her father's untimely death in October last year.

Following her triumph, Devyani Rana expressed profound gratitude to the electorate and BJP leadership for their unwavering support, while PDP's Muntazir pledged to ensure Budgam's voice resonates "in every forum" henceforth; together, these bypoll verdicts—PDP's historic breach of NC hegemony and BJP's emphatic consolidation—signal a transformative shift in Jammu and Kashmir's political terrain, underscoring voter insistence on tangible governance, accountability, and viable opposition alternatives.

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