Budgam, November 14: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) registered a victory in the Budgam Assembly bypoll on Friday, with candidate Aga Syed Muntazir defeating the National Conference (NC) contender Aga Syed Mehmood by 4,478 votes.
Polling, held on Monday, saw over half the electorate casting votes. The contest followed the vacancy left by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who opted to retain the Ganderbal seat after winning both constituencies in last year’s Assembly elections.
Analysts said the NC’s defeat was influenced by the sidelining of veteran leader Syed Aga Ruhullah during the campaign. Ruhullah, who has represented Budgam thrice, openly criticized the party leadership, and his absence appears to have affected voter sentiment.
“PDP’s win indicates voter dissatisfaction with NC’s performance in the first year of government,” said political analyst Noor Baba. The result underscores challenges for NC in maintaining its support base in Kashmir.
For the PDP, the victory is a notable recovery, increasing its tally to four MLAs in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Party officials described it as a morale boost following the limited success in last year’s elections.
The outcome is expected to stir internal discussions within the NC, which had been confident of retaining the seat despite Ruhullah’s non-involvement in campaigning
