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20 Oct 2025, 7:01 am

SRINAGAR: Signalling a deep strain within the alliance, a discontented Congress has decided not to contest the Nagrota by-election in Jammu and Kashmir, despite the seat being spared for the party by its ally, the National Conference (NC). While Congress claims the move is aimed at consolidating anti-BJP votes, the decision highlights underlying tensions between the two partners.

J&K Pradesh Congress spokesperson Ravindra Sharma said the Congress has opted to leave the Nagrota Assembly seat for its ally NC, keeping in view the broader objective of defeating the BJP.

He stated that the decision was made after detailed deliberations over the report submitted by the JKPCC, taking into account several factors – notably the fact that in the last Assembly elections in 2024, contested by Congress and NC on a friendly basis, NC had secured the second position in the final results from the constituency.

Sharma emphasised that, considering the wider principles of the coalition, the Congress central leadership decided to allow the NC to contest the seat in furtherance of the joint objective of defeating the BJP.

The bypolls for the Nagrota Assembly seat were necessitated following the death of sitting BJP MLA and former NC leader Devender Singh Rana in October last year.

In the 2024 Assembly polls, BJP's late Devender Rana had won the Nagrota seat with 48,113 votes, while NC’s Joginder Singh was the runner-up with 17,641 votes. Congress candidate Balbir Singh secured only 5,979 votes.

The bypolls for both Nagrota and Budgam Assembly seats are scheduled for 11 November.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also serves as NC vice-president, stated that the NC would contest the Budgam seat, but had conveyed to Congress that it would support a Congress candidate in Nagrota if the party wished to field one.

Initially, Congress had been pushing to contest the Nagrota seat. However, sources reveal that the party remains deeply aggrieved by what it perceives as a snub from the NC during the Rajya Sabha (RS) seat negotiations. The NC reportedly offered Congress an “unsafe” seat contrary to an earlier commitment of a “safe” one made to central party leaders, including President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Sources said there is strong resentment within the Congress against continuing the alliance with NC, citing grievances ranging from being denied cabinet berths during government formation to the recent RS snub.

“The J&K Congress has sent a detailed report to the party high command conveying the sentiments and opinions of party leaders on the alliance,” the sources added.

All eyes are now on the Congress's strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Jammu & Kashmir.

The elections for four vacant RS seats are set to take place on 24 October. The NC has fielded four candidates and is expected to secure three of the seats. The BJP, which has nominated three candidates, is likely to win one seat, provided that some of the seven non-BJP opposition MLAs abstain from voting for the NC’s candidate on the fourth seat.