NC Loses Budgam Bastion After 48 Years Amid Internal Rift And Voter Discontent

The National Conference (NC) has lost its Budgam bastion after 48 years, with residents saying they placed their faith in the PDP because “Omar betrayed us.”

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. (Photo: ANI)

In a major setback for the ruling National Conference, PDP candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi won the Budgam Assembly by-election, snatching the long-held seat from the NC.

Aga Muntazir, PDP’s candidate for the Budgam constituency, captured the seat by defeating his maternal uncle, Aga Syed Mahmood Al-Mosavi, the NC nominee, by a margin of 4,186 votes.
This is the same candidate who was defeated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by 18,485 votes in the 2024 general election, just a year ago.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti celebrated the result as a “breach of NC’s traditional stronghold,” writing on X: “Hats off to the people of Budgam for placing their faith and trust in PDP’s Aga Muntazir Sahab. Jeet humari, Inshallah.”

Add Zee News as a Preferred Source

Budgam has been an NC stronghold for 48 years, largely represented by senior Shia leaders. The bypoll was necessitated after CM Omar Abdullah vacated the seat to retain Ganderbal. Many voters in the constituency termed Omar’s decision to relinquish Budgam as a “betrayal of their mandate.”

Internal dissent played a major role in NC’s defeat. Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a senior NC leader and once a close aide of Omar Abdullah, refused to campaign for the party’s candidate. He voiced dissatisfaction over the government’s first-year performance, particularly delays in the Reservation Sub-Committee report, installation of smart meters, statehood restoration, and perceived compromises on Article 370.

The result marks a massive 22,000-vote swing in just one year, largely attributed to Ruhullah’s non-participation.

After the PDP victory, supporters in Budgam raised slogans such as: “Jo Ruhullah Se Takrayega, Choor-Choor Ho Jayega. (Anyone Who Goes Against Ruhullah Will Be Shattered.)” They waved Ruhullah’s posters along with PDP flags. Senior PDP leaders indirectly credited Ruhullah and former minister Imran Ansari for the win.

This is not just a seat loss for the NC; it is a personal embarrassment for Omar Abdullah. Analysts say NC did not lose merely to the PDP; it lost because its most influential local face chose to remain absent.
The “Ruhullah factor” transformed a safe seat into a historic upset.