Srinagar, Jan 07: Amid the Speculations that assembly by-polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held with Delhi elections, Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday said that by-elections for the assembly constituencies of Budgam and Nagrota have been deferred due to snowfall, with plans to conduct the polls before April.
While announcing the schedule for the Delhi assembly elections, Kumar said that adverse weather conditions in the union territory led the decision to delay the by-polls. “There are two constituencies in J&K which are due for elections—Budgam and Nagrota. Because of the snow conditions, we will do it later. We still have time till April, but before that, we will complete those elections,” he said.
Pertinent to mention here, the Nagrota constituency in Jammu’s Udhampur district became vacant following the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana on November 1. Rana passed away at hospital in Faridabad Haryana due to illness. In Budgam, the seat was vacated by National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, who retained Ganderbal after contesting from both constituencies in the 2024 assembly elections.
Speculation is rife that Devyani Rana, daughter of the late Devender Singh Rana, will contest the Nagrota by-election on a BJP ticket. Devyani, who was recently appointed as the vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has garnered support within the party.
Sources hinted that Devyani is the “most probable” candidate, citing her active outreach efforts since her father’s demise. However, the party’s leadership in Jammu has refrained from making an official announcement, stating that the final decision will rest with the BJP’s central command.
In Budgam, the National Conference is yet to finalize its candidate. The constituency has long been a stronghold of NC leader Agha Ruhullah Mehdi, who has held the seat since 2002. However, Ruhullah, currently an MP, did not contest the 2024 assembly elections, leaving the seat to Omar Abdullah.
An NC spokesperson said that the party leadership will decide the candidate. “We will field a strong candidate to retain the seat.”
