Srinagar, Nov 11: Voting began on Tuesday for the Budgam assembly bypoll in Jammu and Kashmir, with 17 candidates vying for the seat, officials said. Polling started at 7 am across 173 polling stations in the constituency and is proceeding smoothly under tight security arrangements. Voting will conclude at 6 pm.
The Budgam constituency, home to around 1.26 lakh registered voters, is considered a stronghold of the National Conference (NC) and is being closely watched as a litmus test of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government. The bypoll was necessitated after Abdullah vacated the seat following his election from Ganderbal in last year’s assembly elections.
Historically, Budgam has been an NC bastion, with the party winning the seat consistently since 1962, except in 1972 when the Congress candidate secured victory. NC Lok Sabha MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi had previously won the seat in 2002, 2008, and 2014 before Abdullah claimed it in 2024.
In this bypoll, NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood faces stiff competition from PDP candidate Aga Muntazir. Other prominent contenders include BJP’s Syed Mohsin, Awami Ittehad Party’s Nazir Ahmad Khan, Aam Aadmi Party’s Deeba Khan, and independent candidate Muntazir Mohiuddin.