A Test Beyond Two Seats By: Javid Amin | 21 October 2025 As Jammu and Kashmir heads into the crucial Budgam and Nagrota assembly bypolls, the political atmosphere has grown increasingly turbulent.What was expected to be a routine mid-term exercise has instead turned into a showdown that exposes widening cracks within the ruling National Conference (NC) and its uneasy alliance with the Congress. Both contests—Budgam in central Kashmir and Nagrota in Jammu—carry political and symbolic weight far beyond their boundaries. They represent the first real test of coalition discipline, governance…
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Faith, Faction, and the Ballot: Three ‘Aga’ Candidates Lock Horns in Budgam Bypoll 2025
With NC, PDP, and BJP fielding Aga candidates, the contest transcends party lines—testing loyalties, legacies, and the future of Shia representation. By: Javid Amin | 21 October 2025 An Unprecedented Political Triangle in Central Kashmir The upcoming Budgam Assembly by-election, scheduled for November 11, 2025, has taken an extraordinary turn — not because of its high-profile parties, but because of its unusually personal political dynamics. For the first time in Kashmir’s electoral history, three prominent candidates from the same Shia clerical lineage — all bearing the title “Aga” — are…
Read MoreBudgam By-Election 2025: 19 Candidates in the Fray as Battle for Central Kashmir Heats Up
A Crowded Field for a Symbolic Battle By: Javid Amin | 20 October 2025 The political landscape of Budgam, one of central Kashmir’s most politically sensitive constituencies, is witnessing a surge of activity ahead of the November 11, 2025 by-election.A total of 19 candidates have filed their nominations by the October 20 deadline, signaling a high-stakes and potentially transformative electoral contest. The bypoll, set against a backdrop of shifting alliances and growing voter assertion, has become a litmus test for public sentiment in post-Article 370 Jammu & Kashmir. The seat…
Read MoreRuhullah Mehdi Slams NC Govt for ‘Political Inaction’ as One-Year Mark Nears
Srinagar MP’s Strong Rebuke Signals Rising Dissent Within Party Ranks By: Javid Amin | 12 October 2025 In a rare public criticism from within the party, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, senior leader and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, has accused the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (NC)-led government of failing to deliver on key political promises during its first year in power. His remarks have triggered ripples across Jammu & Kashmir’s political landscape, raising questions about the direction and priorities of the Omar Abdullah administration. Speaking to reporters in Srinagar…
Read MoreBudgam Bypoll 2025: A Litmus Test for Omar Abdullah’s First Year in Power
A Battle Beyond the Ballot Box By: Javid Amin | 11 October 2025 The upcoming Budgam Assembly bypoll on November 11, 2025, is no ordinary electoral exercise. It carries the weight of public judgment on one year of governance under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his party. Vacated by Omar himself after retaining the Ganderbal seat, Budgam has now become the symbolic battleground for assessing the government’s political credibility, its governance model, and its connection with the people. Political observers are calling this by-election a referendum—a midterm evaluation of sorts.…
Read MoreBudgam Bypoll 2025: Litmus Test for Omar Abdullah’s Year-Old Government
When Budgam votes again, it may deliver more than a single MLA—it could deliver a verdict. By: Javid Amin | 09 October 2025 As the autumn political calendar advances, all eyes are turning to Budgam. Once considered a relatively safe seat for the National Conference (NC), the upcoming by-election has been recast as a referendum on the performance of the Omar Abdullah government, which recently crossed its first anniversary in office. Scheduled for November 11, 2025 (with polling for Budgam and Nagrota announced jointly) the Budgam contest—or more surgically, how…
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