Srinagar, Nov 14: Aga Muntazir Mehdi of the Peoples Democratic Party has taken a small lead of 32 votes as third round of voting gets underway in Budgam by-poll results.

The counting of votes for bypoll in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam began at 8 am on Friday, officials said.

As counting gets underway for the third round, Mehdi had polled 3206 votes followed by Aga Mahmood with 3174 votes.

In the first and second rounds, Aga Mahmood of NC was leading by over 400 votes.
The counting, which would decide the fate of 17 candidates, is taking place at the Government Higher Secondary School in Budgam, they said.

Over 50 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the bypoll held on Tuesday.
The final voting percentage was 50.01 per cent.

The Budgam assembly constituency had around 1.26 registered voters.

The bypoll in the assembly constituency was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the seat after winning from both Budgam and Ganderbal in the assembly elections last year. Abdullah chose his family bastion of Ganderbal.

There were 17 candidates in the fray, with Aga Syed Mehmood of the ruling National Conference facing a stiff challenge from the PDP’s (Peoples Democratic Party) Aga Muntazir.

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

Srinagar, Nov 13: General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C) Northern Command, Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, reviewed the preparedness and deployment of drone warfare systems under his command.

During his visit to Kashmir, Lt Gen Sharma was given a detailed briefing on the combat capabilities, surveillance potential, and operational readiness of the state-of-the-art drones currently being inducted and operated by formations in Northern Command.

The briefing covered a wide spectrum of unmanned aerial platforms from tactical reconnaissance drones to armed systems designed for precision engagement and real-time battlefield intelligence.

The Northern Army Commander commended all ranks for their relentless pursuit of innovation and technological excellence and said that their efforts had significantly strengthened the Army’s preparedness for Multi-Domain Operations (MDO).

He praised the indigenous development and integration of cutting-edge drone technologies, highlighting how these advancements were redefining the conduct of modern warfare in high-altitude and complex terrains.

Lt Gen Sharma said that Northern Command, responsible for safeguarding India’s most sensitive frontiers, continues to lead the way in adapting to evolving security challenges through technology-driven solutions.

He said that the command’s focus on drone warfare capabilities aligns with the Army’s broader vision of achieving self-reliance under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative and ensuring a decisive edge in future conflicts.

“Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, #ArmyCdrNC, reviewed Drone Warfare preparedness. He was briefed on the combat capabilities and operational readiness of the state-of-the-art drones. #ArmyCdrNC lauded all ranks for their innovation, technological excellence, and capability development in Multi Domain Operations. The achievement underscores #NorthernCommand’s commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technologies to maintain a decisive edge in modern warfare.#AlwaysInCombat#NationFirst#TechAbsorption#FutureReady@adgpi,” Northern Command-Indian Army said in a post on X.

Srinagar, Nov 13: The Counter-Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) of the J&K Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday conducted simultaneous raids at 16 locations across Kashmir, detaining around 25 suspects and seizing over 20 digital devices, including mobile phones, laptops, and storage drives.

According to Police sources, the searches were linked to two cases registered this week with the State Investigation Agency (SIA) and CIK-CID, pertaining to the recent pasting of terror propaganda posters in several districts, the ongoing probe into the Delhi car blast, and the Faridabad explosives haul connected to the “doctor terror module.”

The raids were carried out in Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Baramulla, and Srinagar, following registration of FIR Nos 2 and 3 on Wednesday.

Officials said those detained are currently under “sustained questioning” for their possible role in terror financing, logistics support, and online propaganda.

More arrests are likely in the coming days, they said.

The latest raids come amid a widening investigation into the Delhi car blast near Red Fort earlier this week, which killed 13 people and injured 20 others.

The CIK’s latest FIRs also focus on the pasting of threat posters by a banned terror outfit at Nowgam in Srinagar and Magam in Budgam district.

Investigators suspect that the propaganda drive was part of a coordinated effort to revive sleeper cells and spread fear through social media and street-level messaging.

Police sources said Thursday’s operation was one of the largest coordinated raids by the CIK in recent months, involving teams aided by the Police and the CRPF.

The detained individuals include suspected sympathisers of proscribed groups, they said.

“The crackdown is part of a sustained effort to neutralise both physical and digital networks of terror,” an official said. “Investigations have established that propaganda, recruitment, and logistics are increasingly being managed online through encrypted platforms.”

Officials said that teams would continue operations over the coming days while digital devices are being analysed.