After Bihar victory, BJP shines in Jammu & Kashmir as Devyani Rana triumphs

SRINAGAR: The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in Bihar with a massive victory, also achieved a strong result in Jammu and Kashmir. In the Nagrota by-election, BJP candidate Devyani Rana won by a majority of 24,600 votes. Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party came in second. The ruling National Conference was far behind. The by-election was held following the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana in 2024. Devyani is his daughter and is a graduate in Economics from the University of California.

The National Conference also faced a major setback in Budgam, where a by-election was held after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned from the seat. In Budgam, the NC candidate was defeated by the PDP. PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir won by 4,478 votes, defeating the National Conference candidate Agha Syed Mahmood. The dispute between Omar Abdullah and Srinagar MP Agha Ruhullah had also become a topic of discussion during the election. Aga Ruhullah did not take part in campaigning in Budgam.