India, Nov. 11 -- The Budgam assembly segment in Kashmir, along with Nagrota in Jammu region, will go to polls on Tuesday to elect new representatives after the seats fell vacant last year.

In Budgam, as many as 17 candidates are in the fray for the seat where bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the seat, retaining Ganderbal after winning both the constituencies in the 2024 assembly elections.

Budgam has been a bastion of the National Conference (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, ...