How Did BJP Secure the Nagrota Assembly Seat in J&K?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Devyani Rana wins by a significant margin.
- This by-election was crucial due to the death of her father, Devender Singh Rana.
- The BJP maintains a strong presence in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
- Counting continues in Budgam, with PDP in the lead.
- The political landscape in J&K remains dynamic.
Jammu, Nov 14 (NationPress) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Devyani Rana has emerged victorious in the Nagrota Assembly by-election in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), triumphing over her closest contender, Harsh Dev Singh from the Panthers Party. Rana secured her win with a margin exceeding 21,000 votes against her rival.
The candidate representing the ruling National Conference (NC), Shamim Begum, finished significantly behind, garnering just over 10,000 votes.
Following the announcement of the party candidate's victory, jubilations erupted in the BJP camp in Jammu.
Devyani Rana is the daughter of the late Devender Singh Rana, who previously held the Nagrota seat in the 2024 Assembly elections.
This by-election was necessitated by the passing of the veteran party leader Devender Singh Rana on October 31, 2024.
Within the 90-member J&K Legislative Assembly, the BJP holds 29 seats, while the NC has 41 seats.
Currently, counting is ongoing in the Budgam Assembly constituency in the Valley. After the sixth round, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, is in the lead with a margin of 2,100 votes over his NC counterpart Aga Syed Mehmood.
The Budgam by-election was prompted by the resignation of NC candidate Omar Abdullah, who opted to represent the Ganderbal constituency after winning both Ganderbal and Budgam in the 2024 Assembly elections.
Interestingly, NC Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, a Shia Muslim leader from Budgam, refrained from participating in the NC campaign in Budgam due to disagreements with the party leadership.
The Congress, which has six MLAs, has chosen to support the NC government led by Omar Abdullah from the outside without formal inclusion.
Additionally, five out of the six independent candidates who won in the 2024 Assembly elections subsequently joined the NC.