Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah with the party’s Budgam bypoll candidate Aga Mehmood after she files her nomination papers in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on October 20, 2025. Photo credit: Iran Nissar
Thirty-three candidates, including 13 independents and four women, have filed their nomination papers from the Budgam and Nagrota assembly constituencies to be held in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) next month, election officials said.
Monday (October 20, 2025) was the last date for submitting candidate lists for the two parts of the council, which go to the November 11 election. The review of the lists is scheduled for October 22 and the download of the candidate lists for October 24.
Counting of votes will take place on November 14.
The Budgam seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retained Ganderbal – his family’s stronghold – after winning both the assembly seats, while Nagrota bid farewell to BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana on October 31 last year.
Officials said 20 candidates, including eight independents, filed nominations from Budgam constituency where the National Conference fielded former minister Aga Syed Mehmood Al-Mousvi, BJP Aga Syed Mohsin Mosvi and PDP Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Deeba Khan, an independent, Aditi Sharma, from Jammu and Apni Party’s Mukhtar Ahmad Dar are among the other candidates, they said, adding that the list also includes candidates.
In the Nagrota constituency, the BJP has fielded Rana’s daughter Devyani Rana, who is facing a major challenge from National Conference candidate and District Development Council member Shamim Begum and BJP rebel and J&K Panchayat Conference president Anil Sharma, who is contesting as an independent.
Other prominent faces from the constituency include former minister Harsh Dev Singh of the J&K National Panthers Party (India). Four other independents are in the fray as well as AAP leader Joginder Singh.
Published – 20 October 2025 23:21 IST
