Harsh Dev Singh, Devyani Rana File Nominations for Nagrota Bypoll

JKNPP-I president and former minister Harsh Dev Singh and BJP candidate Devyani Rana on Saturday filed their nomination papers for the bypoll in Nagrota Assembly constituency here, officials said.

After submitting their papers before the returning officers, both the leaders addressed separate public meetings to seek support of the voters.

The by-elections in Nagrota and Budgam assembly constituencies will be held on November 11 and the counting of votes will take place on November 14.

The last date for filing of nominations will be October 20 followed by scrutiny on October 22 and withdrawal of candidatures on October 24.

While the bypoll in Nagrota was necessitated by the demise of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana on October 31 last year, Budgam seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah retained Ganderbal -- his family’s bastion -- after winning the two assembly seats.

“I hope the voters of Nagrota will vote on merit instead of emotions and keep in mind their future… there are no takers for divisive politics and the people of Nagrota are looking for a change,” Harsh Dev Singh said after filing his nomination papers.

He said Nagrota constituency, which was represented by BJP thrice and National Conference twice since its formation in 1996, is lacking in development and needs a representative who can truly work for the betterment of the constituency.

Harsh Dev Singh said since he is a member of India bloc, his supporters expect Congress and National Conference to extend their support to him instead of fielding any candidate from the constituency.

The BJP has given the mandate to Devyani Rana, daughter of Devender Singh Rana and niece of Union minister Jitendra Singh.

Devender Singh Rana won the seat for the party in 2024 assembly elections by a record margin of 30,472 votes. He had earlier emerged winner from the seat in 2014 elections on National Conference ticket but later switched to BJP in 2021.

Accompanied by hundreds of supporters, Devyani Rana addressed a mammoth gathering along with senior party leaders J-K BJP president Sat Sharma, leader of opposition in assembly Sunil Sharma and several other party legislators.

“I am daughter of Rana who was always there to support anyone without considering his religion, caste and creed. I will follow his footsteps and fulfill all his election promises which he could not fulfill due to his sudden demise,” Devyani Rana told the gathering amid high pitch sloganeering in her favour and in praise of her father.

She said the people of Nagrota are her family and “I have taken a pledge on the hand of my father in his last days that I will work for the betterment of the people of his constituency”.

Devyani Rana said she is hopeful that every family in Nagrota will bless her as they blessed her father who registered his win with the highest margin among all the legislators.

“Rana Sahab will be remembered for his diligence, honesty, and the genuine respect he had for everyone, always treating people with love and dignity. I hope to continue these values in my life,” she said.

On Friday, a group of BJP members expressed their unhappiness over the party fielding Rana’s daughter by ignoring veteran grassroot worker Nand Kishore, brother of sitting MP Jugal Kishore. Nand Kishore had unsuccessfully contested assembly elections against Rana in 2014.

The angry workers confronted J-K BJP president and election-incharge for the constituency Sham Lal Sharma during their visit to the constituency on Friday evening and registered their protest.

However, Sham Lal Sharma played down the resentment and said “the party is sure that “Devyani worked very hard over the past 11 months and the party is sure that the people of the constituency will bless her like they voted in favour of her father,” Sham Lal Sharma said, adding the party forwarded the names of Nand and Devyani in the panel of candidates and the party’s parliamentary board gave mandate to her which is acceptable to all the party workers.

“She is our niece and even Nand Kishore will come forward to bless her. As we do not take anything easy, we will reach out to every household to garner support for her so that she can win even by a bigger margin than her father,” he said.

Meanwhile, District Election Officer Rakesh Minhas highlighted key parameters from the updated constituency profile and said a total of 150 polling stations, with robust polling infrastructure and 100 percent assured minimum facilities like ramps, lighting, drinking water and sanitation, have been established for the bypoll to the Nagrota constituency, having 97,893 registered voters

With PTI inputs.