Jammu, Oct 15 (KNO): In a move poised to leverage family legacy and voter sympathy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday officially announced Devyani Rana as its candidate for the high-stakes Nagrota Assembly bypoll, setting the stage for a fiercely contested battle in the Jammu region.
The announcement comes just weeks before the November 11 polling date, with the constituency – a traditional BJP stronghold – having fallen vacant following the untimely death of Devyani's father and senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana, on October 31, 2024.
Devyani Rana, 32, the daughter of the late MLA and niece of Union Minister Jitendra Singh, expressed unbridled confidence in carrying forward her father's “winning streak” during a media interaction at her residence in Jammu.
Surrounded by jubilant BJP workers and supporters who celebrated the news with traditional dhol beats, she stated, “I would like to continue with my father’s winning streak. I have received a lot of love and blessings from the people, especially the youth, and the party. We are confident of winning. The work done over the past year has been appreciated by people. I intend to take forward the vision of Rana sahib for Nagrota.”
Emphasizing the enduring bond with the electorate, she added, “Nagrota will always remain with BJP. I am sure the voters will bless me with overwhelming support.”
The BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) cleared Devyani's name alongside Aga Syed Mohsin for the Budgam seat in Kashmir, as confirmed in an official release from the party headquarters in New Delhi.
This decision overrides speculation around other contenders like Nand Kishore Sharma and Anil Sharma, banking instead on the sympathy wave generated by Devender Rana's passing.
The senior Rana had scripted history in the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections by securing a record 48,113 votes – the highest margin in the Union Territory at 30,472 votes – defeating National Conference (NC) candidate Joginder Singh.
A former NC loyalist, who defected to the BJP in 2021, Devender Rana had previously won the seat in 2014 on an NC ticket, underscoring the constituency's volatile yet BJP-leaning dynamics since 1996.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party (India) Chairman and former Minister Harsh Dev Singh on the same day issued a fervent appeal to the NC and Congress – allies in the ruling INDIA bloc – to back him as their consensus opposition candidate.
Positioning himself as a viable alternative to the BJP's “dynastic politics”, Singh argued that a united front was essential to counter the ruling party's dominance in Nagrota, a seat where the NC-Congress alliance had faltered in 2024 by fielding separate candidates.
In a statement shared via social media and addressed to NC president Farooq Abdullah and Congress leaders, Harsh Dev Singh said, “I make a strong appeal to the National Conference (NC) and Congress to support me as the consensus candidate from the INDIA Alliance in the upcoming Nagrota assembly by-poll elections. The people of Nagrota deserve a united opposition voice against the BJP's machinery, not fragmented efforts that dilute our strength. Let us set aside differences for the greater good of democracy and the aspirations of the youth and marginalized sections in our constituency.”
Singh, a two-time former MLA from the Ramnagar (now reserved post-delimitation), highlighted his grassroots connect with people during the tenure as Education Minister in Mufti Sayeed's government during 2002-2006.
He cautioned that without unity, the bypoll could reinforce BJP's grip, potentially at the expense of the coalition's broader agenda on statehood restoration and regional equity.
The appeal comes amid reported strains within the NC-Congress partnership, which failed to consolidate votes in Nagrota during the last polls – NC's Joginder Singh polled 17,641 votes, while Congress's Balbir Singh managed 5,979.
Neither the NC nor Congress has announced its candidate yet, leaving room for Singh's overture.
Political analysts view this as a tactical bid by the Panthers Party leader to exploit alliance fissures, especially as the bypoll serves as a litmus test for the ruling coalition's cohesion post the 2024 elections.
Nagrota, encompassing parts of Jammu district with a diverse voter base including urban professionals, farmers, and ex-servicemen, remains a prestige battleground.
The BJP's 2024 triumph here was pivotal in its Jammu sweep, contrasting with the NC's Valley dominance.
With counting slated for November 14, the bypoll – alongside Budgam – is expected to draw national attention, gauging public mood on governance, development, and the push for J&K's full statehood.
As campaigns gear up, Devyani Rana's camp is already mobilizing on themes of continuity and progress, while Harsh Dev Singh's plea underscores the opposition's high-wire act—(KNO)