Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir U.T. Surinder Kumar Choudhary. File
| Photo Credit: Imran Nissar
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Monday (October 20, 2025) said the ruling National Conference (NC) will fight the bypolls to Nagrota and Budgam Assembly seats on public issues, the biggest being the restoration of statehood to the Union Territory.
Mr. Choudhary expressed confidence that the voters in both the constituencies will ensure the win of the NC candidates to strengthen the hands of party president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
NC fielded District Development Council (DDC) member Shamim Begum from Nagrota and former Minister Agha Syed Mehmood from Budgam. The two seats are going to the by-elections on November 11, 2025.
A bye-election was necessitated in Nagrota by the demise of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana on October 31, 2024, last year, while the Budgam seat fell vacant following Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s retention of Ganderbal — his family’s bastion — after winning the two assembly seats.
Talking to reporters at NC headquarters in Jammu before accompanying Begum to file her nomination from Nagrota, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “We will fight the elections on the issues being faced by the people and restoration of statehood is the biggest issue for us.” “We have restarted the practice of Darbar Move to provide major relief to the business community and others in Jammu. The practice was stopped by the BJP without caring for the business of the people,” Mr. Choudhary said.
The government recently issued orders for the closure of the Darbar Move offices in the summer capital Srinagar, hours after Chief Minister Abdullah announced restoration of the age-old tradition introduced by Dogra rulers in 1872.
According to the order, all offices shall reopen at Jammu, the winter capital, on November 3, 2025. The Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration had scrapped the Darbar Move tradition in 2021.
“The restoration of Darbar Move is a very big decision of the NC-led government as it will not only benefit shopkeepers in Raghunath Bazar or Afsara Road but will revive the age-old tradition and bring people closer,” Mr. Choudhary said.
He alleged that the BJP is expected to fight the elections on misleading narratives and dividing people on the basis of their religion, creed and caste.
“The people are expected to vote for the ruling party candidate rather than the opposition for overall development. The 28 BJP legislators could do nothing for the people in their constituencies during the recent floods,” the Deputy CM said.
“We will win both the seats to end the arrogance of the BJP,” Mr. Choudhary said.
Another Minister, Javed Rana, said the National Conference is a cadre-based party. “We are sure that the people will stand with the Mr. Abdullah-led Government so that we can bring back the lost glory of the erstwhile state,” Mr. Rana said.
Later, Begum, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, including the Deputy CM, submitted her nomination papers before the returning officer for the Nagrota bypoll.
Published – October 20, 2025 07:13 pm IST
