Jammu Kashmir Bypolls: Major Setback for Omar Abdullah as NC Loses Budgam Stronghold | PDP Strikes Back

Jammu Kashmir Bypolls: Major Setback for Omar Abdullah as NC Loses Budgam Stronghold | PDP Strikes Back

In a significant blow to Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the National Conference has lost the Budgam bypoll — a seat the party had held since the first Assembly elections in 1957. Abdullah had vacated the constituency last year after winning from Ganderbal, the family bastion.

PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir clinched the seat, defeating NC nominee Aga Syed Mahmood by 4,478 votes. The contest was widely viewed as an early test of Abdullah’s popularity, especially amid persistent Opposition criticism over governance during his previous year in office.

The setback in Budgam wasn’t the NC’s only disappointment. The party also failed to wrest the Nagrota seat, where the BJP retained the constituency with an emphatic win. Devyani Rana, daughter of late BJP leader Devender Singh Rana, secured a victory margin of 24,647 votes, continuing her family’s political legacy.

She defeated Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, who secured 17,703 votes. NC’s Shamim Begum finished third with 10,872 votes.

The loss in Budgam carries particular weight for the National Conference, which has historically dominated the Shia-majority seat. Except for 1972 — when the NC boycotted elections across Jammu and Kashmir — the constituency had consistently backed the party whenever it fielded a candidate.

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Before Abdullah won Budgam in the last Assembly elections, the seat was held for three consecutive terms by Aga Rahullah Mehdi, now the party’s Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar. Mehdi chose not to contest the 2024 Assembly polls after entering Parliament earlier this year.

However, internal rifts cast a shadow over the bypoll campaign. Mehdi openly rebelled against the party’s decisions, voicing concerns on issues such as reservation policies in the Union Territory. Although he insisted his criticism wasn’t anti-party, he refrained from campaigning for the NC candidate in Budgam, deepening the fissures.

To counter the dissent and salvage the seat, Abdullah led an intensive three-day campaign, backed by cabinet ministers, MLAs, and senior party leaders. The effort, however, wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

The bypoll results mark one of the sharpest political setbacks for the NC in recent years, raising fresh questions about its hold over traditional strongholds and the challenges awaiting Abdullah’s leadership.