The Nagrota Assembly constituency saw a remarkable voter turnout of 75.08 percent, marking a successful by-election held peacefully across all 150 polling stations on November 14. The Election Commission monitored the process, confirming no major incidents disrupted the polling.
The future of ten candidates, including BJP’s Devyani Rana and NC’s Shamim Begum, rests within the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Vote counting is scheduled to occur on November 14.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjeev Verma told Daily Excelsior that the by-poll experienced “completely peaceful and smooth polling”. He noted that he visited several polling stations throughout the day, where voters expressed satisfaction concerning amenities such as wheelchairs and drinking water, as well as efficient queue management.
Officials disclosed that one or two EVMs experienced technical glitches but were replaced promptly, allowing polling to resume without delays.
For this by-election, turnout figures closely align with those of the 2024 Assembly elections, which recorded 77.66% turnout. In the previous elections, BJP’s Devender Singh Rana triumphed with 48,113 votes while NC’s Joginder Singh followed with 17,641 votes. Congress candidate Balbir Singh gained only 5,979 votes, with remaining candidates receiving minimal support.
With a revised electorate of approximately 98,000 voters, officials anticipate a similar number of votes cast. Adequate security measures remained in place, featuring heavy deployment of paramilitary and police at sensitive locations to ensure safety.
Observers and senior officials diligently monitored several booths throughout the day, while Election Commission Observers conducted checks to uphold election integrity.
As polling ended at 6 pm, election officials securely transported EVMs to strong rooms, where they will remain under round-the-clock surveillance until the counting process begins.
Innovation played a key role in these elections. For the first time, presiding officers used the ‘Presiding Officer App’ from the ECI’s Integrated ECTNet platform to report booth-wise turnout data. This technology reduced reporting delays and improved accuracy.
The by-election was necessitated by the passing of BJP stalwart Devender Singh Rana, who died shortly after securing his position in the 2024 Assembly elections.
BJP nominated his daughter, Devyani Rana, an Economics graduate from the University of California. She focused her campaign on “professional and inclusive development.”
Shamim Begum, representing NC, leaned on her grassroots connections and party strength. Former minister Harshdev Singh ran as an “alternative voice” for the first time in Nagrota, while Independent Anil Sharma relied on local support as a former Sarpanch.
Voter turnout surged after 9 am, encouraged by sunny weather. Residents at the Kol Kandoli polling station expressed determination to maintain development momentum in Nagrota.
Nagrota has exhibited fluctuating loyalty across five elections since 1996—BJP winning in 2002, 2008, and 2024, while NC prevailed in 1996 and 2014. Notably, Congress did not field a candidate in this election and opted out of NC’s campaign despite being alliance partners at the UT level.
This Nagrota by-election, alongside the Budgam seat’s polling, aims to fill two vacancies in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, which currently has 88 serving MLAs. The departure of Devender Singh Rana and the resignation of former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who vacated Budgam, caused these vacancies.