Budgam bypoll result 2025: PDP’s Aga Muntazir wins against NC's Aga Syed Mehmood

SRINAGAR: Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi of the Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the Budgam assembly bypoll, securing 21,576 votes with a margin of 4,478 over his closest rival, Aga Syed Mahmood Al-Mosavi of the National Conference (NC). Counting concluded on Friday after 17 rounds, marking a decisive victory in a constituency traditionally dominated by the NC.The Budgam bypoll, held on Tuesday, November 11, recorded a turnout slightly lower than the 52.27% registered during last year’s assembly elections. Polling remained largely peaceful across the constituency, which has around 1.26 lakh registered voters.The bypoll is being viewed as a litmus test for chief minister Omar Abdullah’s government and his party, the National Conference (NC). The election was necessitated after Abdullah vacated the Budgam seat following his victory from his family stronghold of Ganderbal in last year’s assembly polls. A traditional stronghold of the National Conference since 1962, Budgam has seen the party dominate in nearly every election, barring a lone Congress win in 1972. NC’s Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi had represented Budgam for three consecutive terms — 2002, 2008, and 2014 — before Omar Abdullah’s win in 2024. This time, Aga Syed Mehmood of the ruling NC faces a tough fight from PDP’s Aga Muntazir, making it a rare Shia-versus-Shia contest in the Valley. Other key contenders include BJP’s Syed Mohsin, Awami Ittehad Party’s Nazir Ahmad Khan, AAP’s Deeba Khan, and Independent candidate Muntazir Mohiuddin. As counting proceeds amid tight security, the results are expected to indicate not only the public mood in central Kashmir but also serve as a referendum on the Omar Abdullah-led government’s performance in its first year in office.