Nagrota assembly by-poll: Triangular contest on the cards as NC enters fray
Jammu, Oct 20: Nagrota assembly segment is all set to witness a triangular contest, following the entry of the National Conference (NC) candidate on the last day of filing nomination on Monday, for the by-polls, scheduled to be held on November 11, 2025.
NC fielded its District Development Council (DDC) member Shamim Begum as its nominee after the Congress late Sunday (October 19, 2025) night announced to leave the Nagrota assembly poll arena for its alliance partner.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Devyani Rana - the daughter of late Devender Singh Rana, former MLA Nagrota and Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP)-I candidate and former minister Harsh Dev Singh are already in the electoral fray.
Congress insiders point out that the party decision (to not to contest) should be read as its ‘subtle response’ to snub by the ally (NC), by backtracking from its (NC’s) promise of ‘safe slot’ (to Congress) in the biennial elections to four vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha.
“Despite facing betrayal, Congress has stuck to the coalition Dharma in taking this call by leaving the seat for NC to contest. Let their (NC’s) ‘stronger and better’ candidates win both the seats to keep the BJP at bay. For us, seats and individual interests are not important,” they assert.
However, the official reason cited, behind the decision of Congress to leave the seat to its ally NC to contest, was “keeping in view the larger interests and goals to defeat the BJP.”
“The decision was taken after detailed deliberations over the report of the JKPCC and taking into account various factors, including the fact that in the last Assembly elections in 2024, which was contested by Congress and NC, on friendly basis, the National Conference had secured second position in the final election results of the said constituency,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, in a midnight statement.
“Thus, taking into account the broader parameters and principles of the coalition, the central leadership of INC (Indian National Congress) has decided to leave the said seat to its ally - National Conference to contest it, in furtherance of larger interests and goals to defeat BJP,” Sharma said.
Shamim Begum, after getting mandate, extended gratitude to the party leadership for reposing faith in her. She also exuded confidence that the people in Nagrota assembly constituency would support her wholeheartedly as they had seen her performance as DDC member during the last four years.
Later, she, accompanied by the Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and a large number of party leaders, workers and supporters, filed her nomination papers before the Returning Officer.
Deputy Chief Minister, while responding to the queries of media persons, stated, “Congress has refused to contest. Nevertheless, there is nothing to worry about. The National Conference will contest on both the seats (Nagrota and Budgam) and will win. We are contesting to win.”
In response to a question about the BJP’s statement that there was no contest for it (BJP) in Nagrota, Choudhary stated, “BJP has become arrogant. NC has entered the electoral fray to end its arrogance. Nagrota belongs to NC. We won it in 2014. In 2024, the seat went to the BJP. However, it (BJP) will face a debacle this time again. They resort to the politics of deception. They will not succeed.”
He asserted, “If the Nagrota people want their jobs to be done. They should make the NC candidate Shamim Begum victorious. Presently J&K has the NC government in power. BJP has 28 MLAs but they can do nothing. It was evident recently after the floods when they (BJP MLAs) could do nothing to help people and address their grievances. Only the NC government will be able to serve Nagrota people. We will fight elections on people’s issues like restoration of statehood and not on divisive politics, like BJP.”
Choudhary stated that the NC government’s significant decision about the resumption of full Darbar Move would revive Jammu’s sagging economy, help traders besides promoting communal harmony and contact between the two regions.
Nagrota seat had fallen vacant after the sad and sudden demise of Devender Singh Rana on October 31, 2024, days after getting elected. He had won this seat as BJP candidate with the highest margin of 30472 votes across J&K UT, defeating National Conference’s Joginder Singh. Rana had won this seat earlier in 2014 also, resisting the strong Modi wave, as National Conference candidate.
