The ruling National Conference (NC) has taken an early lead of 624 votes over its nearest rival, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the Budgam constituency, while the BJP is ahead by more than 1,000 votes in Nagrota after the completion of the first round of counting, officials said.
In Budgam, NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood has secured 1,152 votes, while PDP’s Muntazir Mehdi has polled 528 votes.
An AIP-backed candidate, Nazir Ahmad Khan, is close behind the PDP candidate with 508 votes, while independent candidate Jibran Dar has secured 208 votes.
In Nagrota, BJP candidate Devyani Rana is ahead by 1,111 votes. According to official stats, BJP’s Devyani Rana has established an early lead over Harshdev Singh, who represents the Panthers Party.
While Devyani has secured 2,477 votes, Harshdev Singh is trailing with 1,366 votes. The National Conference (NC) is in the third position, with its candidate Shamim Begum polling 1,110 votes.
Also Read: Red Fort blast: Pulwama house of prime accused demolished
The counting of votes for the bypoll in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam began at 8 am on Friday.
The day will decide the fate of 17 candidates in the fray after the counting is complete, which is taking place at the Government Higher Secondary School in Budgam.
All arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the exercise, officials added.
Over 50 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the bypoll held on Tuesday. The final voting percentage was 50.01 per cent. The Budgam assembly constituency had around 1.26 registered voters.
Meanwhile, the Nagrota assembly constituency recorded a voter turnout of 75.08 per cent, slightly lower than the 77.66 per cent seen in the 2024 J&K Assembly elections for the same constituency.
Follow us
