Jammu Kashmir NC Fields Shamim Begum from Nagrota after Congress Steps Aside amid Alliance Strain

SRINAGAR: In a significant political development ahead of next month’s Assembly bypolls, the National Conference (NC) has fielded District Development Council (DDC) member Shamim Begum as its candidate from Nagrota, after the Congress decided to step aside to “ensure the defeat of the BJP”.

The announcement came on Monday, shortly after NC’s Jammu provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta confirmed that the party high command had cleared Begum’s nomination. Begum, a Muslim Gujjar and DDC member from Nagrota’s Dansal block, is expected to file her nomination papers soon.

The Congress decision, taken late Sunday night, came despite the Nagrota seat originally being offered to the party by its ally, the NC. The move, though projected as an act of coalition solidarity, underscores growing tension between the two allies after their disagreement over seat-sharing for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Jammu Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said that the Congress had opted to leave the Nagrota Assembly seat to its ally in keeping with the “larger interest” of defeating the BJP and consolidating opposition votes.

He said the decision followed detailed deliberations on the report submitted by the JKPCC and an assessment of the 2024 Assembly results, where the NC had secured the second position from Nagrota, while the Congress had finished a distant third. “Taking into account the broader parameters of coalition politics, the INC central leadership has decided to leave the Nagrota seat to its ally NC, in furtherance of the joint objective of defeating the BJP,” Sharma said.

The bypolls for Nagrota and Budgam Assembly constituencies are scheduled for November 11. The Nagrota seat fell vacant after the death of BJP legislator and former NC leader Devender Singh Rana in October last year. Rana had won the seat in 2024 with 48,113 votes, defeating NC’s Joginder Singh, who secured 17,641 votes. The Congress candidate, Balbir Singh, had managed 5,979 votes.

Expressing gratitude to the party leadership, Shamim Begum said she was honoured to have been given the mandate to represent the NC in her home constituency. “People in Nagrota know my work as a DDC member over the last four years. I am confident they will support me to continue serving them in the Assembly,” she said.

NC leaders described Begum’s nomination as a strategic choice, combining local representation and community outreach in a constituency with a diverse demographic profile.

The Congress decision comes amid lingering resentment within the party over what it perceives as a betrayal by the NC during the recent Rajya Sabha seat-sharing negotiations. Congress leaders allege that the NC went back on its promise to offer them a “safe seat” for the Upper House polls, instead proposing one considered politically risky.

Sources said several Congress functionaries have conveyed to the party high command their discontent with the alliance, citing past grievances, including being overlooked during government formation. The elections for four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir are slated for October 24.

NC vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, however, sought to downplay the rift, saying the party was open to accommodating Congress had it insisted on contesting Nagrota. “If the Congress had a better candidate, we were ready to support them. We have no objection,” Omar said last week.

The BJP, meanwhile, hit out at the Congress for withdrawing from the contest, calling it a “complete surrender” before the NC. BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma said the move showed that the Congress had “no independent political identity left” in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Congress has handed itself over to the Abdullah family. Instead of building an independent narrative, it has become a tool for the NC’s agenda,” Sharma said, claiming that the BJP remained the only party in the Union Territory with a “clear vision and a people-centric approach”.

With the NC fielding Shamim Begum and the BJP nominating Devyani Rana, daughter of the late Devender Singh Rana, the Nagrota bypoll is shaping up as a triangular contest, with Harsh Dev Singh of the J&K National Panthers Party (JKNPP-I) also in the fray.

Devyani filed her nomination papers on Saturday, backed by senior BJP leaders. She is seen as drawing considerable support from her father’s political legacy and his cross-community appeal in the constituency.

The bypoll is being closely watched as a political litmus test for both the ruling alliance and the BJP in Jammu, a region often regarded as a BJP stronghold. Nominations close on October 21, with scrutiny scheduled for October 22 and the last date for withdrawal on October 24.

With Shamim Begum’s candidature, the NC has taken charge of what has now become one of the most closely followed electoral contests in the Jammu region — one that will test both coalition cohesion and the BJP’s organisational grip ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.