Naveed ul Haq
Budgam, Oct 17: As the last date for filing nomination papers for the Budgam by-election approaches, the two major regional parties including National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are yet to officially declare their candidates.
Speculations are rife that the National Conference may field Aga Syed Mehmood, though party sources said that the final decision is expected within the next 24 hours.
In the 2024 General Assembly elections, PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi had secured 17,525 votes from Budgam, while NC’s Omar Abdullah bagged 36,010 votes and won the seat by a significant margin.
Omar Abdullah, however, chose to retain his Ganderbal seat, leaving the Budgam constituency vacant. The Budgam seat fell vacant on October 21, 2024, after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retained the Ganderbal constituency following his dual victory in last year’s Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already announced Aga Syed Mohsin as its candidate for the Budgam by-polls.
Muntazir Mohiuddin, who was earlier associated with the Apni Party has also confirmed his decision to contest as an independent candidate.
Another independent candidate, Jibran Dar, has filed his nomination papers today at the Returning Officer’s office in Budgam, accompanied by his supporters.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), candidates can submit their nomination papers until October 20 for the 27-Budgam and 77-Nagrota constituencies.
Scrutiny of nominations will be held on October 22, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 24.
Voting for the by-elections is scheduled on November 11, with counting set for November 14.
