CEC cites snow to put Budgam, Nagrota bypolls on hold

New Delhi, Jan 7: The Election Commission of India (ECI) Tuesday said that it would hold by-polls in Jammu and Kashmir later.

Addressing a news conference, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that they were not announcing the schedule for by-polls in Budgam and Nagrota due to the snowy conditions in the region.

The CEC said that they had until April 20 to hold the electoral exercise.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated his Budgam seat on October 21 while retaining his Ganderbal seat while the Nagrota seat fell vacant on October 31 following the demise of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devender Singh Rana.

According to Section 151-A of the Representation of Peoples Act-1951, a by-election for filling any vacancy must be held within six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy.

While the BJP is likely to field Rana’s daughter, Devyani Rana, as its candidate for the Nagrota seat, there is widespread curiosity about who the NC’s candidate for the Budgam seat would be.

The NC has not provided any hints about its candidate, evoking interest among political observers and voters alike.

In the 2024 J&K polls, Omar Abdullah won the Budgam seat defeating Muntazir Mehdi, son of separatist leader Agha Hassan, by a margin of over 18,000 votes.

Rana won the Nagrota seat by defeating Joginder Singh of the National Conference (NC) by 30,472 votes.

Earlier, addressing a news conference to announce the schedule for the assembly polls in Delhi, CEC Kumar urged political parties to maintain decorum during elections and said the ECI would conduct checks to ensure free and fair polls.

“We will check everyone to ensure money-free elections. During recent polls, there was a hue and cry that some helicopters were checked. People even come down to threatening polling officers but we control ourselves because it disturbs the level playing field,” Kumar said. “The star campaigners and those in political campaigns are duty-bound to ensure that etiquette is followed. We will be very harsh. Star campaigners should not act in a way that discourages common voters.”

He said that the District Magistrates and Returning Officers would ensure fair play and a level playing field for every candidate.

“We will also request the political parties not to create undue pressure on the officials,” Kumar said. “The parties could ask for any explanation in writing.”

Assembly polls in Delhi will be held on February 5 and the votes counted on February 8, Kumar said.

Bypolls to two assembly constituencies - Milkipur in Uttar Pradesh and Erode in Tamil Nadu – would also be held on the same date.