Politics

Congress opts out of Nagrota bypoll, leaves seat to National Conference

JAMMU — The Congress has decided not to contest the Nagrota assembly by-election in Jammu and Kashmir, even though the National Conference (NC) offered it the seat.

Both coalition partners had contested last year’s assembly elections together, but ties have been strained since the NC refused to cede a Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress.

Elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory are scheduled for October 24.

Bypolls for the Nagrota and Budgam assembly segments are scheduled for November 11.

The Nagrota by-election was necessitated by the death of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana on October 31 last year, while the Budgam seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retained Ganderbal.

“The Indian National Congress has decided to leave the Nagrota assembly seat to its ally National Conference, keeping in view the larger interests of defeating the BJP,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said in a statement.

Downplaying reports of a rift over seat-sharing, NC vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “If the Congress has a better candidate for Nagrota, we are ready to support them.”

On Sunday, the NC announced senior leader Agha Syed Mehmood as its candidate for Budgam. The last date for filing nominations is Monday, scrutiny of applications will take place on October 22, and withdrawal of candidatures will be on October 24.

The BJP has fielded Devyani Rana, daughter of late Devender Singh Rana, from Nagrota. She and JKNPP-I president Harsh Dev Singh filed their nominations on Saturday.

In the 2024 assembly polls, Rana won the seat by a record margin of 30,472 votes, defeating NC’s Joginder Singh, who polled 17,641 votes. Congress candidate Balbir Singh finished third with 5,979 votes. Rana, who had won the seat on an NC ticket in 2014, joined the BJP in 2021. — (PTI)