Budgam bypoll blow: PDP stuns ruling NC in a major setback for CM Omar Abdullah
With PDP’s Aga Muntazir Mehdi wresting ruling National Conference’s stronghold Budgam, CM Omar Abdullah faces a rare electoral jolt amid open dissent from party ’s Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi
The ruling National Conference in Jammu & Kashmir suffered a major jolt on Friday (November 14), with PDP clinching the Budgam Assembly seat in a bypoll, an upset that lands squarely on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, given the party’s decades-long hold over the constituency. The defeat comes at a politically sensitive moment for Omar, who is already grappling with visible dissent within his ranks.
At the centre of that strain is party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, who has repeatedly criticised the Omar Abdullah government for failing to deliver on its commitments and stayed off the campaign for NC candidate Aga Syed Mahmood. The absence of Ruhullah Mehdi — strikingly at odds with last year’s high-visibility public rallies and roadshows alongside Abdullah — has intensified scrutiny over internal dissent and its role in the bypoll outcome.
Arrogance recipe for disaster: Ruhullah
The Budgam Assembly seat has been represented by the NC since 1977. The last elected MLA in the 2024 Assembly elections from the seat was CM Omar Abdullah himself. A bypoll was necessitated in the constituency after Omar Abdullah, who won two seats in 2024, chose to keep the family bastion of Ganderbal and relinquish Budgam.
On Friday, PDP’s Aga Muntazir Mehdi led his nearest rival, the NC’s Aga Syed Mahmood, by around 4,500 votes. In last September’s election, Muntazir had lost to Omar Abdullah by more than 18,000 votes. After Abdullah vacated the seat, however, the PDP candidate maintained a steady presence on the ground. For the PDP — which holds only three seats in the 90-member House — the addition of Budgam offers a big morale boost for its cadre.
The duo, Omar Abdullah and Aga Ruhullah, have found themselves at odds with each other since the government formation in 2024. It started with MP Ruhullah joining a protest over reservation issues at the CM’s residence in Srinagar last year. Since then, the two have been critical of each other.
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In his reaction, Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi said, “arrogance is the recipe for disaster.” Quoting Quran in a post on X, Ruhullah wrote, “I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant upon the earth without right; and if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it. And if they see the way of consciousness, they will not adopt it as a way; but if they see the way of error, they will adopt it as a way. That is because they have denied Our signs and they were heedless of them. [Al-Araf: 146 ].” “Lesson: Arrogance is the recipe for disaster. Consciousness, Humility and introspection is the way,” he added.
Omar faces headwinds
The NC, on the contrary, had a rare public display of fissures between the party leadership and its current Srinagar MP, Ruhullah, a key figure in Budgam. Ruhullah Mehdi has previously represented the Budgam constituency in the J&K Assembly and also holds sway over the constituency’s significant Shia population.
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Ruhullah represented Budgam from 2002 to 2014. In 2024, when he was elected to Parliament, Abdullah stepped in to fight Budgam as a second, safe seat. However, despite a comfortable win, the CM’s decision to give up the seat did not go down well with voters.
Additionally, while the NC announced its candidate just days before the election date, the PDP’s Muntazir had the benefit of nearly a year of working on the ground. The PDP also threw its weight behind its candidate, with party president Mehbooba Mufti campaigning in Budgam along with PDP legislators from other areas.
In its campaign, the PDP questioned the NC government’s performance over the last year in power despite having 50 MLAs in the House. Abdullah sought to target the PDP, accusing it of having a track record of asking for votes against the BJP “and then joining hands with them”.
During a roadshow in Budgam three days before the election, Abdullah said, “All (political) forces are in the field to defeat the National Conference and Aga Mahmood in this election. And for what fault? Because we are still standing by the promises we made while contesting the last election, which is to keep the BJP at bay.”