BUDGAM BY-POLL RESULT: PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir defeats NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood by over 4000 votes

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 14 (STC): People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi has won the Budgam Assembly constituency seat in by-polls by defeating his closest rival, Aga Syed Mehmood of the National Conference (NC). The PDP candidate won by a margin of over 4000 votes.
The constituency, one of the most competitive in the by-polls, saw 17 candidates contesting, including representatives from the Apni Party and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP).
“The people have voted for change and accountability,” he said, adding that Budgam district, which he said had been ignored over the past year, will now be represented effectively in the Assembly,” said PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi after winning the election.
Notably, the PDP’s campaign gained momentum when senior Shia leader and former three-time MLA and now MP Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi had publicly refused to campaign for the NC candidate, citing delays in implementing the Reservation Sub-Committee report, issues with smart electricity meters, and perceived backtracking on statehood and Article 370.
Ruhullah had even requested that his name or image not be used in the NC campaign.
It’s pertinent to mention that the Budgam bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had won both Ganderbal and Budgam seats in the 2024 Assembly elections and chose to represent Ganderbal.
(Straight Talk Communications)