The Nagrota bypoll 2025 in Jammu and Kashmir is set for November 11, featuring key candidates like Devyani Rana (BJP), Harsh Dev Singh (JKNPP), and Bodh Raj (Apni Party). Explore the full candidate list, key details, and what’s at stake in this crucial by-election shaping the region’s political balance. (Image Credit: AI)
Nagrota Assembly constituency is located in the Jammu district of Jammu & Kashmir and falls under No. 77 of the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency. Located strategically near the city of Jammu, with partly urban and rural mixes, Nagrota has a very important role in the political narrative of the region.
This seat fell vacant due to the death of sitting MLA Devender Singh Rana. Thus, a by-poll was required in 2025. Considering a mix of urban voters, ex-servicemen, and rural population, the by-election in Nagrota is going to be an important test for all major parties in the Union Territory.
The by-election in Nagrota will be held on 11 November 2025, and the results will be declared on 14 November 2025. The Election Commission of India declared the schedule for Nagrota and Budgam constituencies in this by-election round.
In the 2024 Assembly elections, Devender Singh Rana of the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious from Nagrota. His victory cemented the BJP's hold on the Jammu region and consolidated the party's position, particularly in the urban and semi-rural belts. The unfortunate death of Rana in 2024 triggered the present by-poll, making this election a prestige battle for the BJP and a challenge for the opposition.
Devender Singh Rana was a senior BJP leader and an influential political personality from Jammu. Acknowledged for his articulate presence and strong local connect, he had served as an MLA from Nagrota multiple times.
Rana was seen as close to the top BJP leadership in the region and played an important role in strengthening the party's grassroots presence in Jammu division. His death created a serious void in the regional leadership of the BJP, thus setting the stage for a high-pitched electoral contest in the 2025 by-poll.
Before the by-poll, Devender Singh Rana was the BJP MLA from Nagrota. His death in late 2024 caused this by-election. The BJP is trying to retain the seat, while the NC and Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party are among the parties seeking an upset for a stronger foothold in the Jammu region.
Following are the major candidates contesting the Nagrota by-poll 2025:
The voting in Nagrota will take place from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on election day. People are expected to carry valid photo identification and follow all protocols developed by the Election Commission to ensure a transparent and peaceful polling process.
Nagrota is estimated to have a population of about 58,000 people comprising a considerable amalgamation of ex-servicemen, government employees, small traders, and rural people. It is essentially a semi-urban constituency, poised between the city influence of Jammu and the development needs of its peripheral rural areas.
The Nagrota constituency has over 1.9 lakh registered voters as per the updated rolls published in 2025. Additional polling stations have been set up to accommodate the increasing base of voters and improve accessibility.
Nagrota Assembly constituency officially came into being in 1996, following the re-organization of the legislative boundaries in Jammu & Kashmir. In fact, since then, it has remained a significant seat owing to its proximity to the winter capital of the Union Territory, Jammu.
The by-election was necessitated following the death of sitting MLA Devender Singh Rana (BJP), who represented the constituency after winning in 2024.
Nagrota is part of Jammu district and falls under the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency.
On election day, polling starts at 7:00 a.m. and will run till 5:00 p.m.
According to the latest electoral records, the Nagrota constituency has close to 1.9 lakh registered voters.
It was last held by Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Devender Singh Rana, whose death mandated the by-election scheduled in 2025.
