BJP’s Devyani Rana wins Nagrota

Jammu, Nov 14: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Devyani Rana Friday, in her maiden electoral venture, registered a convincing win – with a margin of 24647 votes – in the by-election for Nagrota assembly segment, over her immediate rival JKNPP (I) candidate and former minister Harsh Dev Singh.

Devyani secured 42350 votes to retain the seat for her party and carry forward the profound legacy of her father and former BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana, while Harsh Dev bagged 17703 votes.

National Conference candidate and DDC member Shamim Begum finished third in the electoral race with 10872 votes.

Though Devyani could not maintain the historic lead scored by her father in the 2024 assembly election, yet it (the victory margin) was very impressive, keeping in view that she was a first-timer, who started her political innings just around eleven months ago, following the sudden demise of Devender Rana on October 31, 2024.

Not only this, in the changed circumstances, she actually won the hearts as valiantly faced the challenges of internal party strife and formidable opponents in the former minister Harsh Dev Singh and NC candidate Shamim Begum, both experienced hands in the realm of politics.

Thirty-year-old Devyani is an economics graduate from the University of California. She also handles her family’s media and automobile business ventures.

In the 2024 assembly election, Devyani’s father, Devender Singh Rana, had made waves by winning the Nagrota seat for the BJP with the highest margin of 30472 votes across J&K, defeating National Conference’s Joginder Singh. He had won this seat earlier in 2014, also resisting the strong Modi wave, yet as a National Conference candidate.

Out of 10 candidates in the electoral fray, BJP rebel and All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference candidate Anil Sharma secured mere 842 votes, followed by the candidates of Bodh Raj of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party with 392 and Joginder Singh of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with 359 votes.

Interestingly, NOTA polled 349 votes and surged ahead of four candidates, viz., Naresh Kumar Chib of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party-Bhim (JKNPP-Bhim), who bagged 213 votes; Qari Zaheer Abbas Bhatti of All India Forward Bloc, who got 134 votes, Shah Mohd (288 votes), and Gulzar Hussain (331 votes), both independents.

The result has infused positivity in the rank and file of the BJP, which has very high stakes in this electoral battle. The party was confronting a two-fold challenge – one to retain its seat with an impressive margin and secondly to prove that it still holds the ground even after a year full of trials and tribulations.

Though considered to be a BJP stronghold, the Nagrota assembly constituency has given the party a ‘shock therapy’ in between.

This was also a litmus test for its state leadership as the election was totally fought under its charge with no blitzkrieg in the campaign by its central leadership, other than the incharge J&K affairs and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh.

Thus, for J&K BJP, which heavily relied on its central leadership for electoral wins in the Union Territory, this win has come as a morale booster.

Since 1996, NC has won this seat twice, and the BJP has scored victory thrice.

Ajatshatru Singh, nominated by NC, was elected MLA in 1996. In 2002 and 2008, BJP candidate Jugal Kishore Sharma emerged victorious from this seat. In 2014, Devender Singh Rana won it as an NC candidate. However, in 2021, he joined the BJP. In the 2024 assembly elections, he won Nagrota again, this time for the saffron camp.

For the National Conference, the election result has come as a setback. It was not only defeated but it also slipped to third place.

Following the Rajya Sabha poll snub, its sulking alliance partner (Congress) had not contested the election and even stayed away from campaigning.

As far as Harsh Dev Singh was concerned, the number of votes he scored, relegating even the NC to third place, would perk up his spirits and prospects for future contests.

He earlier represented Ram Nagar assembly constituency of Udhampur district thrice, i.e., in 1996, 2002, and 2008. He unsuccessfully contested from Ramnagar again in 2014 and then in Chenani in 2024.