Srinagar

Polling to decide the fate of 17 candidates in the Budgam assembly bypoll began on Tuesday amidst tight security arrangements, officials said.

The polling began at 7 am at 173 polling stations across the constituency and was going on smoothly, the officials said. They said the voting would end at 6 pm.

The Budgam assembly constituency has around 1.26 lakh registered voters, and all arrangements, including a tight security cover, are in place to ensure smooth polling.

The polling in being seen as a litmus test of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's government and his party the National Conference (NC).

The bypoll was necessitated after Abdullah vacated the seat following his election from the family bastion of Ganderbal as well in the last year's assembly polls.

Budgam has been a bastion of the NC with its candidates securing victory from the constituency since 1962, barring once in 1972 when the Congress candidate won from the seat.

NC Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, won from the Budgam seat in the 2002, 2008 and 2014 assembly polls, before Abdullah emerged victorious from here in 2024.

There are 17 candidates in the fray as Aga Syed Mehmood of ruling National Conference faces a stiff challenge from the PDP's (People's Democratic Party) Aga Muntazir.

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Besides the two Shia candidates, other key candidates include the BJP's Syed Mohsin, Awami Ittehad Party's Nazir Ahmad Khan, Aam Aadmi Party's Deeba Khan, and independent candidate Muntazir Mohiuddin.