Devyani Rana of the BJP won the Nagrota Assembly bypoll on Thursday, securing 42,143 votes and defeating her nearest rival by a substantial margin. The National Conference finished a distant third with just 10,834 votes, raising questions about its popularity in the region. The seat became vacant after Devyani's father, Devender Rana, who had won it in the 2024 assembly elections with a huge margin, passed away in October last year. This bypoll was viewed as an important test for both the BJP and the ruling National Conference, coming just a year after the assembly elections. While the BJP's winning margin decreased slightly from the previous election, the result shows a significant erosion in the National Conference's support base, adding to its political troubles.
NC's Poor Show Raises Questions About Congress Alliance
Political observers note that the National Conference's third-place finish will worsen its already strained relationship with ally Congress. Relations between the two parties soured after NC refused to leave one of two safe Rajya Sabha seats in elections held last month. Additionally, Congress chose not to contest the Nagrota bypoll to defeat the BJP, but NC still fielded candidate Shamim Begum, a Jammu District Development Council member. Many in the non-BJP camp, including Congress members, viewed this as a move helping the BJP. Senior Congress leaders now emphasize that their six legislators are the stabilising factor in the Omar Abdullah government, which has 41 NC MLAs in the 88-member assembly.
Source: Link