Srinagar: 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.
PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, secured a winning margin of 4,496 votes, marking a significant breakthrough for the party, which had never tasted victory in Budgam across multiple assembly elections.
The by-election was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who won both Ganderbal and Budgam seats last year, chose to retain Ganderbal, leaving Budgam vacant.
Despite Budgam being a NC stronghold – historically held by the Aga family – the campaign this time appeared visibly weaker. Senior NC leader and MP Aga Syed Ruhulla Mehdi, who commanded a strong personal influence in the area, did not campaign for the party candidate. Political observers say this directly contributed to a split in NC’s traditional vote base, benefiting the PDP.
For the PDP, the victory marks a crucial political milestone. Until now, the party had only three members in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly. With this win, PDP will now have four MLAs, strengthening its voice in the House.
The seat has historically remained out of PDP’s reach. In 2024, Omar Abdullah (NC) defeated PDP’s Muntazir Mehdi by 18,485 votes, in 2014, 2008, 2002, NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi won consecutively
and in 1996, NC’s Syed Gh Hussain Geelani won the seat
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.
Devyani Rana is the daughter of former Nagrota MLA Devender Singh Rana, whose death necessitated the bypoll. He was elected from the constituency in the 2024 assembly elections but died last year.
