The Nagrota Assembly constituency recorded an impressive 75.08% voter turnout in today’s by-election conducted peacefully across all 150 polling stations. The Election Commission confirmed this high participation rate, underscoring a strong democratic engagement.<\/p>\n
The fate of ten candidates, including BJP\u2019s Devyani Rana, NC\u2019s Shamim Begum, JKNPP-I\u2019s Harshdev Singh, and Independent Anil Sharma, now rests in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Officials will conduct the counting of votes on November 14.<\/p>\n
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjeev Verma reported to Daily Excelsior, stating that the by-poll witnessed \u201ccompletely peaceful and smooth polling.\u201d Verma personally monitored several stations and praised the setup, noting voter satisfaction with facilities such as wheelchairs, drinking water, and effective queue management.<\/p>\n
Election officials confirmed minimal technical disruptions, indicating that only one or two EVMs needed replacements, with polling resuming without any significant interruptions.<\/p>\n
The voter turnout of 75.08% aligns closely with the previous Assembly election figure of 77.66% recorded in 2024. Last year’s victor, BJP\u2019s Devender Singh Rana, amassed 48,113 votes while NC\u2019s Joginder Singh garnered 17,641 votes, with Congress candidate Balbir Singh trailing with just 5,979 votes. This time, a comparable number of votes are expected, with the electorate slightly adjusted to around 98,000 voters.<\/p>\n
Security remains a top priority, with comprehensive arrangements deployed throughout sensitive areas to ensure smooth operations. Paramilitary and police personnel patrolled, while Election Commission Observers\u2014including General, Police, and Expenditure observers\u2014inspected various booths to maintain order.<\/p>\n
After polling closed at 6 PM, officials transported the EVMs to secured strong rooms under continuous surveillance until counting day.<\/p>\n
In a significant innovation this election, presiding officers utilized the \u2018Presiding Officer App\u2019 within the ECI’s Integrated ECTNet platform. This advancement allowed for rapid booth-wise data uploads, reducing potential delays and minimizing human error in vote reporting.<\/p>\n
The need for this by-poll arose due to the sudden death of BJP stalwart Devender Singh Rana, who passed away shortly after his 2024 victory. The party nominated his daughter, Devyani Rana, an Economics graduate from the University of California, who aligned her campaign with a focus on \u201cprofessional and inclusive development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, NC\u2019s Shamim Begum leveraged her grassroots connections as a sitting DDC member, while Harshdev Singh, entering the race for the first time, positioned himself as an \u201calternative voice.\u201d Independent candidate Anil Sharma relied on his local support and commitment to welfare initiatives.<\/p>\n
Long queues formed at several polling locations after 9 AM, as favorable weather enticed voters to participate. At the Kol Kandoli polling station, voters expressed their intention to continue development in Nagrota.<\/p>\n
This by-poll unfolds in a political landscape where Nagrota has oscillated between BJP and NC victories over the past five Assembly elections since 1996. The BJP triumphed in 2002, 2008, and 2024, while NC claimed victories in 1996 and 2014. Notably, Congress abstained from fielding a candidate this time, avoiding NC\u2019s campaign despite alliances at the union territory level.<\/p>\n
The Nagrota and Budgam by-polls aim to fill two vacancies in the 90-member Jammu & Kashmir Assembly, which currently comprises 88 sitting MLAs. These vacancies appeared due to the death of Devender Singh Rana and the resignation of former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who vacated Budgam after winning in Ganderbal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Nagrota Assembly by-poll recorded a robust 75.08% voter turnout, with peaceful polling across all booths. Candidates\u2019 fates are now under the watchful eye of EVMs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,88],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jammu","8":"category-kashmir"},"yoast_head":"\n