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Srinagar, Oct 18 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah on Saturday said his party will nominate its candidate for the by-election on Budgam assembly seat on Monday.
The two assembly seats of Nagrota in Jammu division and Budgam in the Valley fell vacant after the death of sitting BJP MLA from Nagrota Devendra Singh Rana on October 31 last year and NC MLA Omar Abdullah resigned from the Budgam seat after winning it during the 2024 assembly elections.
Omar Abdullah won the 2024 assembly elections from two constituencies, Ganderbal and Budgam.
The Chief Minister has decided to represent Ganderbal seat in the 90-member Assembly and leave Budgam seat.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already nominated its candidates for both these by-elections, Devyani Rana from Nagrota and Agha Syed Mohsin from Budgam.
Muntazir Mohiuddin, spokesperson of his party under the leadership of Altaf Bukhari, resigned from his party and decided to contest as an independent from the Budgam assembly seat.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has also not yet named its candidate for the Budgam by-election.
NC has offered Nagrota assembly seat to its ally Congress, but there has been no formal announcement from the Congress whether the party will field its candidate in alliance with NC on this important seat or not.
The Election Commission has announced that voting for Budgam and Nagrota by-elections will be held on November 11.
In the 2024 assembly elections, NC had won 42 seats, BJP 29, Congress six, PDP three, CPI-M one, People’s Conference (PC) one, Aam Aadmi Party one, Awami Ittehad Party one and Independent six.
Later, Congress had decided to support the current NC government from outside without joining it.
–IANS
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