PP NEWS LINE DESK<\/p>\n
JAMMU, Nov 11<\/strong>\u00a0Nagrota and Budgam constituencies witnessed strong voter participation in Tuesday\u2019s bypolls, with Nagrota recording a turnout of 74.63 percent and Budgam closing at 49.92 percent, according to official data.<\/p>\n As per voter statistics, Nagrota Assembly Constituency (AC-77) reported a final turnout of 74.63 percent, reflecting active participation from the electorate throughout the day.<\/p>\n In Budgam Assembly Constituency (AC-27), polling concluded with a turnout of 49.92 percent, as voters continued to arrive steadily at polling stations despite cold weather conditions in several parts of the constituency.<\/p>\n Polling officials said the voting process remained smooth, peaceful, and incident-free, with adequate security arrangements in place.<\/p>\n Seventeen candidates contested the two seats, including National Conference\u2019s Aga Syed Mehmood, PDP\u2019s Aga Syed Muntazir, and BJP\u2019s Aga Syed Mohsin.<\/p>\n The Budgam seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah opted to retain his family bastion, Ganderbal, following victories in both constituencies in the 2024 Assembly\u00a0polls. The by-election in Nagrota was called after the death of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana on October 31, 2024.<\/p>\n Seventeen candidates were contesting from Budgam, while ten were in the fray for Nagrota seat. The by-elections are being viewed as a test of public confidence in the newly-formed Omar Abdullah government, and a measure of the BJP\u2019s influence in the Jammu region.<\/p>\n Polling officials said voting remained peaceful in both constituencies, with brisk turnout reported in several areas despite sub-zero morning temperatures in parts of the Valley.<\/p>\n An election official said voter turnout stood at around 48.5 per cent for Budgam and 72.7 per cent for Nagrota till 5 pm.<\/p>\n In Budgam, voters queued early outside polling stations to cast their ballots. \u201cMany youths from the district are languishing in jails outside J&K and we voted for their release,\u201d said a voter from Soibugh village.<\/p>\n Sajad Ahmad, another voter, said they want better roads and relief from inflated power bills and \u201cthat\u2019s what matters most to us.\u201d<\/p>\n The main contest in Budgam is between JKNC\u2019s Aga Mehmood and PDP\u2019s Aga Muntazir, both from prominent local religious families. In Nagrota, the contest has shaped into a triangular fight between Devyani Rana of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party-India (JKNPP-I), and Shamim Begum of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC).<\/p>\n Parika, a first-time voter in Nagrota, said she cast her vote \u201cfor women and youth empowerment.\u201d Another young voter added, \u201cPeople are turning out in large numbers here; it shows faith in the democratic process.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PP NEWS LINE DESK JAMMU, Nov 11\u00a0Nagrota and Budgam constituencies witnessed strong voter participation in Tuesday\u2019s bypolls, with Nagrota recording a turnout of 74.63 percent and Budgam closing at 49.92 percent, according to official data. As per voter statistics, Nagrota Assembly Constituency (AC-77) reported a final turnout of 74.63 percent, reflecting active participation from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[235],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jammu-and-kashmir"],"yoast_head":"\n