Jammu: The Congress has opted out of contesting the Nagrota assembly by-election in Jammu and Kashmir, choosing instead to back its ally, the National Conference (NC), despite being offered the seat.
The decision reflects the Congress’s stated “larger goal” of ensuring the defeat of the BJP, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said in a statement.
Bypolls for the Nagrota and Budgam assembly segments are scheduled for November 11. The Nagrota by-election was triggered by the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana on October 31 last year, while the Budgam seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retained Ganderbal — his family’s stronghold — following his victory from two constituencies.
“The Indian National Congress has decided to leave the Nagrota seat to its ally National Conference, keeping in view the larger interests of defeating the BJP,” Sharma said, adding that the move came after detailed consultations within the party and review of a JKPCC report noting that the NC had finished second in Nagrota in the 2024 assembly elections.
The Congress and NC had jointly contested last year’s assembly polls but their alliance has been strained since the NC denied Congress a safe seat in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled for October 24.
Downplaying any rift, NC vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday, “If Congress has a better candidate for Nagrota, we are ready to support them. We have no objection.”
Meanwhile, the NC has named Agha Syed Mehmood as its candidate for Budgam. The last date for filing nominations is October 21, with scrutiny on October 22 and the final withdrawal deadline on October 24.
The BJP has fielded Devyani Rana, daughter of the late Devender Singh Rana, from Nagrota. She and JKNPP-I president Harsh Dev Singh submitted their nomination papers on Saturday.
In the 2024 assembly elections, Devender Singh Rana had won Nagrota on a BJP ticket by a record margin of 30,472 votes, defeating NC’s Joginder Singh (17,641 votes). The Congress candidate, Balbir Singh, finished third with 5,979 votes.
Rana, who earlier represented Nagrota as an NC legislator, had defected to the BJP in 2021.
