BJP retains Nagrota, restores strength to 29 in J&K Assembly

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regained its tally of 29 MLAs in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly after securing a decisive victory in the Nagrota bypoll, a contest widely viewed as a crucial test of the party’s standing in the region.

BJP candidate Devyani Rana won the seat by a margin of 24,647 votes, defeating National Conference (NC) candidate Shamim Begum and J&K Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh, a former minister. Harsh Dev finished second with 17,703 votes, while Shamim Begum secured 10,872 votes, standing third despite representing the ruling NC.

The bypoll was closely watched, particularly because the BJP had slipped from 29 to 28 MLAs following the death of Nagrota MLA Devender Singh Rana last year. Rana, brother of Union Minister Jitendra Singh, had won the seat in the 2024 Assembly elections by over 30,000 votes. He passed away in October soon after the polls, leaving behind a legacy of goodwill among both Hindu Rajput and Muslim Gujjar communities in the constituency.

During her campaign, Devyani Rana repeatedly appealed to voters to support her as a tribute to her late father and to allow her to carry forward his developmental work. After her victory, she said, “My father had asked me to serve the people of Nagrota. I will work for the constituency the way he did. People from all communities have supported us, and I am grateful to all senior party leaders for standing by me.”

The BJP celebrated the win at a felicitation ceremony held at the party headquarters in Jammu. The event was attended by J&K BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma, General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul, Rajya Sabha MP Gulam Ali Khatana, MLA Sham Lal Sharma, and other senior leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, Sat Sharma said, “The massive victory of Devyani Rana is a clear endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies, which prioritise the poor, the needy, and the most neglected sections of society.” He added that voters in Nagrota had supported the BJP because they had witnessed “development on the ground, not on paper.”

Interestingly, BJP rebel Anil Sharma, who contested as an independent, managed to secure only 842 votes. The Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate, Joginder Singh, received 359 votes, while 349 voters opted for the NOTA (None of the Above) option.