BJP’s Devyani Rana Sworn in as MLA Nagrota

SRINAGAR: Devyani Rana was sworn in on Friday as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Nagrota, formally assuming the seat previously held by her late father, senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana.

Rana’s oath-taking follows her emphatic victory in the Nagrota assembly by-election, where she defeated her nearest rival, Harsh Dev Singh of the Panthers Party India, by a margin of 24,647 votes. She secured 42,350 votes, while Singh polled 17,703. National Conference candidate and Dansal DDC member Shamima Begum finished third with 10,872 votes, and BJP rebel Anil Sharma, contesting as an independent, managed only 842.

The bypoll, held on November 11, saw nearly 75 percent voter turnout in the BJP stronghold, slightly lower than the 77.66 percent recorded in last year’s assembly elections. The election was necessitated by the death of Devender Singh Rana on October 31, last year following an illness.

Nagrota has largely remained under BJP control, with the party winning the seat three times since 1996, while the National Conference has secured it twice.