Triangular contest in Nagrota bypoll as Congress bows out

A triangular contest is on the cards in the Nagrota bypoll, scheduled for November 11, with three major contenders intensifying their campaigns to woo voters.

A total of 12 candidates, including a former minister and a District Development Council (DDC) member, have filed nominations. The Congress has opted out of the race, leaving the seat for its alliance partner, the National Conference (NC). Five of the 12 candidates are independents.

The last date for filing nominations was October 20, while scrutiny is scheduled for October 22 and withdrawal of candidatures for October 24.

Prominent candidates in the fray include Shamim Begum of the NC, Devyani Rana of the BJP, and Harsh Dev Singh of the J&K National Panthers Party (India).

Nagrota, which has a significant Gujjar and Rajput population, has traditionally seen both communities play a decisive role. The late MLA Devender Singh Rana, who passed away in October last year, had strong support among both groups. His daughter, Devyani Rana, is now contesting on a BJP ticket, hoping to capitalise on her father’s legacy.

Shamim Begum, a DDC member from Dansal, filed her nomination on Monday after Congress decided not to contest the seat. Initially, the Congress was expected to field its own candidate from Nagrota, while the NC would contest from Budgam. However, the Congress later issued a statement saying it was leaving the Nagrota seat to its ally in the “larger interest of defeating the BJP”.

Party spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, “After deliberations and reviewing past election data, including NC’s second position in the 2024 polls, the Congress high command decided to support NC in Nagrota in line with coalition principles and to ensure BJP’s defeat.”

Shamim’s campaign has gained momentum with the backing of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government, including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and other ministers.

Meanwhile, Harsh Dev Singh, a former minister, retains strong influence among Rajputs. The J&K National Panthers Party (Bhim) has also fielded Naresh Kumar Chib. The two factions, JKNPP (India) and JKNPP (Bhim), emerged after a split within the original party after an internal feud in 2024.

J & K