By-Elections to Budgam and Nagrota Assembly Seats on November 11, Counting on November 14: ECI
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the much-awaited schedule for by-elections to the Budgam and Nagrota assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, setting the stage for two significant electoral battles in the Union Territory. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, said the polling for both seats will be held on November 11, 2025, while the counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on November 14, 2025.
The announcement came as part of a larger briefing in which the poll body also revealed the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections 2025 and several other by-elections across different states. Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir are now expected to intensify their campaigns, with both seats holding symbolic and strategic importance ahead of the next full Assembly polls in the Union Territory.
The Budgam constituency fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had contested and won from two seats in last year’s Assembly elections, chose to retain his Ganderbal seat and relinquished Budgam. The Nagrota seat, on the other hand, has been vacant since October 31, 2024, following the demise of senior BJP leader and sitting MLA Devender Singh Rana, just weeks after the Assembly election results were announced.
The by-elections are expected to be closely contested and politically significant. Budgam is shaping up as a multi-cornered battle, with the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the newly formed Peoples Alliance for Change, a coalition of the Peoples Conference, Peoples Democratic Front, and Justice and Development Front (JDF), preparing to field strong candidates. Nagrota, meanwhile, is likely to witness a direct face-off between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Conference-led alliance, with both camps mobilizing resources and outreach strategies to secure victory.
Observers say the outcome of these by-elections will be a crucial barometer of public sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir and may significantly influence political narratives ahead of the next full-scale Assembly elections. They will also test the strength and unity of opposition alliances and the ruling BJP’s ability to retain its influence in key constituencies.
With the schedule now official, political activity in both constituencies is set to intensify in the coming weeks, as parties finalize candidate selections, ramp up grassroots mobilization, and sharpen their campaign messages. The November 11 polls are expected to witness a keenly watched democratic contest, with implications far beyond Budgam and Nagrota.
