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Srinagar, Oct 19 (IANS) The National Conference (NC) on Sunday declared former Jammu and Kashmir minister Aga Syed Mahmood as its candidate for the Budgam assembly by-election, a party spokesperson said.
Agha Syed Mahmood was the NC MLA from Pattan assembly constituency from 1987 to 1990.
Later he was the party MLA from Beerwah assembly constituency from 1996 to 2000.
Later he was a member of the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the then Jammu and Kashmir state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already named Agha Syed Mohsin as its candidate for the Budgam by-election, while the party has named Devyani Rana as its candidate for the Nagrota assembly by-election.
Budgam Assembly seat was won by NC Vice President and current Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 elections.
He also won the 2024 assembly elections from Ganderbal constituency.
He later decided to resign from Budgam seat and represent Ganderbal constituency in the 90-member assembly.
Devender Singh Rana had won the 2024 assembly elections from Nagrota on a BJP ticket, but he died on 31 October 2024.
BJP has made Devendra Singh Rana’s daughter Devyani Rana its candidate for Nagrota by-election.
The National Conference has offered its ally Congress to field its candidate from Nagrota seat, while a final decision on this is yet to be taken by the Congress high command.
There has been some bitterness in the relations between NC and Congress regarding the distribution of four Rajya Sabha seats.
While the Congress wanted the NC to offer it a safe seat among the three seats where the alliance has a political advantage, the NC offered the fourth Rajya Sabha seat to the Congress to field its candidate.
BJP has the upper hand on the fourth Rajya Sabha seat and the party has fielded its state BJP president Sat Sharma on this seat.
Congress later announced that it would not contest the Rajya Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir as it was disappointed with the NC’s decision to field its candidates for three Rajya Sabha seats.
Voting is to be held in both Budgam and Nagrota assembly constituencies on November 11.
In the 2024 assembly elections, NC won 42, BJP 29, Congress six, PDP three, CPI-M 1, People’s Conference one, Aam Aadmi Party one, Awami Ittehad Party one and six independent candidates won.
Congress later decided to support the Omar Abdullah-led NC government from outside without joining it.
–IANS
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