Budgam records 50.01% polling, Nagrota 74.82% in by-polls

Budgam/Jammu, Nov 11: Budgam assembly constituency in Kashmir recorded a turnout of 50.01 percent, while Nagrota assembly segment in Jammu region registered 74.82 percent polling in the by-elections conducted peacefully on Tuesday.

According to the election authorities, this polling percentage was as per the data received till 7:30 pm.

The votes were polled from 7 am to 6 pm at all polling stations.

The counting of votes will take place on November 14, 2025.

As compared to the 2024 elections, the voting percentage has come down in both assembly segments.

In the 2024 assembly elections, Budgam registered 63.28 polling percentage while Nagrota recorded 77.66 percent voter turnout.

Seventeen candidates were contesting in the Budgam assembly constituency and 10 in the Nagrota assembly segment.

There were 1,26,025 electors in Budgam, where 173 polling stations were set up, while in Nagrota, 97,980 electors exercised their right of franchise.

To facilitate these electors, 150 polling stations were set up, each having all assured minimum facilities.

In addition, 24 special polling stations – 19 in Jammu, one at Udhampur, and four in Delhi were also set up for Kashmiri migrant electors registered in Budgam assembly constituency to facilitate their physical voting in terms of the scheme for voting by Kashmiri migrants.

A total of 157 votes were polled at special polling stations in Jammu.

The lone special polling station at Udhampur recorded 11 votes.

In Delhi, a total of 10 votes were polled by the Kashmiri migrants.

As per directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), 100 percent webcasting was done in these polling stations.

The vacancies in respect of Budgam and Nagrota assembly constituencies in the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir were caused due to the resignation of Omar Abdullah, who was elected from two assembly constituencies – Ganderbal and Budgam – and the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had opted to retain Ganderbal – his family bastion.

From the Budgam seat, in the 2024 assembly elections, the National Conference candidate (now the Chief Minister) Omar Abdullah had defeated the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir.

NC-Congress candidate (Omar) had scored 35,804 votes while Mehdi had bagged 17,445 votes.

From the Nagrota assembly segment, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate (late) Devender Singh Rana had made waves by winning the seat with the highest margin of 30,472 votes across J&K, defeating NC’s Joginder Singh.

He had also won this seat earlier in 2014, resisting the strong Modi wave, as an NC candidate.

The authorities said that for the first time, the poll turnout data was recorded directly by the Presiding Officers through a specially design ‘Presiding Officer App’, as part of the Integrated ECTNet platform of the ECI, thereby decreasing the delay as well as errors in the transmission and compilation of voter turnout data.

“Since one ballot unit can handle only 15 candidates plus NOTA, two ballot units were used per polling station in the Budgam by-election,” an official spokesman said.

To ensure smooth conduct of the election process, the ECI deployed observers (General, Police, and Expenditure) for both the assembly constituencies.

Additionally, the ECI has deputed its senior officers to observe the polling and counting at the Special Polling Stations at the three locations.

ECI on October 6, 2025, announced the bye-elections to these two assembly constituencies of J&K along with the general elections to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar.