In Jammu and Kashmir, approximately 97,893 eligible voters are casting their ballots today in the by-election for the Nagrota Assembly constituency. Although ten candidates are contesting, the main competition remains between four key contenders as campaigning concluded yesterday evening.

Main Contestants

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Devyani Rana, daughter of the late Devender Singh Rana, who had won the Nagrota seat in the 2024 Assembly elections but tragically passed away shortly after taking oath. Devyani Rana faces a strong challenge from Shamim Begum, a sitting District Development Council (DDC) member, representing the National Conference (NC).

Also in the fray is Harshdev Singh, a former minister and three-time MLA from Ramnagar, making his debut in Nagrota. After securing consecutive wins in Ramnagar in 1996, 2002, and 2008, Harshdev Singh faced defeats in later elections before shifting focus to Nagrota. Meanwhile, Anil Sharma, an ex-Sarpanch and BJP rebel, is contesting as an Independent candidate after being denied the BJP ticket. Other participants include Joginder Singh from the Aam Aadmi Party and Bodh Raj of the Apni Party. Notably, the Congress party has opted not to field a candidate this time.

Polling Details and Background

Voting is taking place across 150 polling stations in the constituency. Nagrota has historically alternated between BJP and NC representation, with BJP winning three times and NC twice since 1996. The current by-election was called following the untimely death of Devender Singh Rana, who won the 2024 seat with over 30,000 votes, defeating the NC and Congress candidates by a significant margin.

The election is closely watched as a key political event, with leaders like Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah campaigning for the National Conference, while BJP leaders including Union Minister Jitendra Singh have supported their candidate. Security arrangements have been heightened to ensure a peaceful polling process.