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Budgam

About Budgam

Budgam

Budgam has historically been a National Conference stronghold, and the candidacy of Omar Abdullah in this constituency draws particular attention as he aims to maintain the NC’s influence. The main political players in Budgam are the NC and PDP. In the 2014 Assembly elections, NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi won the seat with a margin of 2,787 votes, securing 30,090 votes (43.76 per cent) against PDP’s Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Bhat, who received 27,303 votes (39.71 per cent). In the 2008 Assembly elections, Aga Syed Ruhullah also claimed victory, obtaining 19,652 votes (40.15 per cent).

In the 2024 contest, PDP’s Mohammad Kamal Malik garnered 9,692 votes (19.80 per cent) but finished as the runner-up, with Aga Syed Ruhullah defeating him by 9,960 votes. With eight candidates contesting the Budgam seat this time, the main battle is expected to be between NC Vice President Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir, son of Hurriyat leader Aga Syed Hassan. Interestingly, Omar Abdullah has the backing of Aga Muntazir’s cousin, NC MP Aga Ruhullah. The NC has controlled the Budgam Assembly constituency since 1977, never losing a candidate. However, the political dynamics are shifting, with Aga Hassan’s son challenging the NC’s dominance on a PDP ticket.

Latest Updates on Budgam

J&K CM Omar Abdullah vacates Budgam assembly seat, retains Ganderbal

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has vacated the Budgam assembly seat and retained the Ganderbal constituency, Pro-tem speaker Mubarak Gul announced in the House on Monday. Abdullah won both the seats in the recently held assembly polls. The Ganderbal seat is considered an Abdullah family stronghold. The 54-year-old Abdullah was an MLA from Ganderbal from 2009 to 2014 during his first tenure as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, the strength of the National Conference in the 95-member house has been reduced to 41 but the party still enjoys a comfortable majority with the support of six Congress MLA, five Independents and one MLA each of the AAP and the CPI(M).

Updated On: 21 Oct 2024 | 4:40 PM IST