Srinagar, Oct 13: Security forces have foiled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kumkadi area of the Keran sector in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, resulting in the killing of two terrorists, police said on Monday evening.

The encounter broke out after alert troops of the Army, assisted by J&K Police, detected suspicious movement along the LoC and engaged the infiltrating group on Monday evening. The operation was launched amid heightened vigilance along the border in the wake of increased infiltration attempts before winter sets in.

“Two bodies of terrorists have been observed near the LoC in the Kumkadi area,” IGP Kashmir V K Birdi told Greater Kashmir adding that searches are underway.

While the bodies of the slain terrorists have been spotted, officials said that retrieval efforts are still underway as the area lies close to the rugged LoC terrain.

“The area is being thoroughly searched. Due to the challenging terrain and possibility of more militants in the vicinity, a massive cordon and search operation is ongoing,” the official added.

Srinagar, Oct 13: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that by-polls for two vacant Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir – 27-Budgam and 77-Nagrota – would be held on November 11.

The two seats had fallen vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated the Budgam seat and held onto his family bastion, Ganderbal seat, and the demise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Nagrota, Devender Singh Rana.

The announcements were made through separate notifications published in the Jammu and Kashmir Official Gazette.

According to the notifications, issued under Sections 30, 56, and 150 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, both vacancies are to be filled through by-elections, which must be completed before November 16, 2025.

Candidates can file their nominations until October 20, with scrutiny scheduled for October 22 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature on October 24.

Polling, if necessary, would be held on November 11, with hours fixed from 7 am to 6 pm.

The process would conclude by November 16.

The Budgam assembly seat became vacant after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had won both Budgam and Ganderbal in the October 2024 assembly elections, decided to retain Ganderbal.

Abdullah defeated PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi by over 18,000 votes in Budgam, while securing Ganderbal, a family stronghold, with a margin of 10,574 votes.

Following his oath as Chief Minister, Abdullah formally resigned from Budgam on October 20, 2024, as announced in the Legislative Assembly by Pro-tem Speaker Mubarak Gul.

Despite the resignation, the NC continues to hold a clear majority in the assembly with support from Congress, independents, and smaller parties.

Political analysts say the Budgam by-poll will serve as a key measure of public sentiment towards the NC government under Omar Abdullah, particularly on issues like special status, statehood, and job creation amid administrative constraints under the Lieutenant Governor’s oversight.

The Nagrota seat fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana on October 31, 2024. Rana, aged 59, passed away after a prolonged illness while undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

A businessman-turned-politician, Rana had begun his career with the NC before joining the BJP in 2021.

He retained Nagrota in the 2024 elections with a record margin of 30,472 votes against NC’s Joginder Singh.

Rana was widely respected across political lines in the Jammu region and played a crucial role in both the NC and BJP political strategies over the years.

His death triggered the by-elections, which are expected to witness a keen contest between BJP and NC candidates.

Observers say the Budgam by-election is likely to gauge public reaction to the first-year performance of the NC-led government.

The Nagrota by-poll is seen as a test of the BJP’s consolidation in Jammu and the ability of regional parties to maintain their influence.

Meanwhile, the discordant notes of the alliance partners – NC and Congress – during the process of filing Rajya Sabha nominations, which completed on Monday, would reverberate and cast their shadow on their negotiations for assembly by-polls.

Despite the NC’s clear snub for not leaving a “safe seat” for the partner Congress, if the latter is exercising restraint in sharing its “feeling of being slighted”, the reason is nothing but “by-pollnomics.”

The Congress is still hopeful of entering into a “seat-arrangement” with the NC to avoid “yet again a friendly contest in Nagrota,” which, in all likelihood, will spell an electoral doom for it against the BJP.

However, given the tone and tenor of NC, the chances of it leaving space open for Congress in Nagrota do not seem bright.

Since the last date for filing nomination of assembly by-polls is October 20, the smokescreen will dissipate vis-à-vis Congress-NC poll alliance prospects, ahead of RS polling.

If NC continues to be inflexible, the tremors (of its fallout with Congress) may be experienced in the RS polls as well on October 24, 2025, the day of polling.

In the case of the Budgam assembly segment, even the NC is not likely to have a cakewalk during the by-poll.

The NC’s sweet-and-sour relationship with its own very vocal MP Aga Syed Ruhullah will be the major obstruction in its smooth sailing, like it had during the 2024 assembly elections.

There will be other factors as well.

Unlike Rajya Sabha polls, no numerical strength but people’s strength will tilt the balance and decide the ultimate winner.

Moreover, assembly by-elections will be an open arena for all political parties to fight and take their electoral chance.

Ditto will be the situation for the BJP also in the Nagrota assembly segment, which was won by Devender Singh Rana for it in the 2024 assembly polls with a historic mandate.

It will not be very easy for the party to repeat the same performance if it is not able to put its house in order there.

Much will depend on its choice of candidate for the assembly segment.

The party, which does not have higher stakes in Budgam, has already prepared its panel of probable candidates for Nagrota, comprising Rana’s daughter Devyani Rana and BJP’s sitting MP Jugal Kishore’s sibling, Nand Kishore Sharma.

Srinagar, Oct 13: Srinagar is all set to witness a three-day interstate cultural festival commencing from Tuesday at Tagore Hall, Srinagar.

The organisers said the festival is aimed at celebrating the unity and spirit of the Nation through music, dance, Art, and painting competitions for the students and artists.

The three-day festival is being organised by the Delphic Council of J&K in collaboration with the Academic of Arts, Culture and Language, J&K, and NZCC.

“The aim is not only to exhibit art, craft, and culture but to celebrate the cultural unity of India,” the organisers told media persons here. The organisers have brought together a distinguished group of artists, intellectuals, and cultural enthusiasts from Jammu and Kashmir besides other artists from different states.

The second day of the festival will witness Kashmiri Sufiyana Mousiqee by Ustad Mohammad Yaqoob Shaikh while folk melodies like Chakri will also be performed by Gulzar Ahmed Ganai and Abdul Rashid Hafiz.

Vikram Sirohiwal from Chandigarh will perform a Sufi melody.

Renowned singers Darmesh Nargotra, Waheed Jeelani, Deepali Wattal, and Assad Anjum will also be seen performing on the stage.

The three-day inter-state cultural festival will act as a bridge between J&K and the rest of the country to bring peace and tourism to J&K.

An exhibition of Basohli Miniature paintings and traditional artworks will also be showcased during the three-day festival.

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Srinagar, Oct 13:: Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, on Monday ruled out the use of any “unfair means” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir. He called on legislators to vote with their conscience, asserting that the Union Territory’s future is safest under the BJP leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dr Singh made these remarks while addressing reporters in Srinagar after accompanying the BJP’s three candidates — Sat Sharma, Ali Mohammad Mir, and Rakesh Mahajan — who formally submitted their nomination papers for the 24 October elections to four Rajya Sabha seats from J&K.

Dismissing speculations of inducements or cross-voting, Dr Singh said, “It is wrong to suggest that the BJP will incite cross-voting or indulge in buying votes. Ours is a democratic party, rooted in democratic values. We neither practice nor promote unethical tactics.”

He stressed that the party’s approach would be principled, relying on the merit of its candidates and the record of governance under Prime Minister Modi to appeal to the elected legislators of the J&K Assembly.

Dr Singh appealed directly to non-BJP MLAs, urging them to rise above party lines and consider the larger interests of the Union Territory. “If MLAs listen to their conscience, it will tell them that the future of Jammu and Kashmir is safe in the hands of the BJP,” he said. “We believe legislators will choose leaders who are experienced, sincere, and committed to public service — qualities embodied by our candidates.”

He highlighted that the Rajya Sabha polls are not bound by a party whip, giving MLAs the freedom to vote as they see fit.

The BJP has fielded three candidates for the four available seats — a bold move given the party’s numerical disadvantage in the 88-member legislative assembly, where it holds 28 seats.

“Our candidates — Sat Sharma, Ali Mohammad Mir, and Rakesh Mahajan — are seasoned leaders who have spent decades in public life. They represent the aspirations of various communities across Jammu and Kashmir,” Singh said. “They will be the strongest voices for the Union Territory in the Upper House of Parliament.”

The Union Minister also invoked Prime Minister Modi’s personal commitment to J&K, recalling symbolic and developmental gestures reflecting his engagement with the region. “Even after the devastating floods of 2014, it was in Jammu and Kashmir that Prime Minister Modi spent his first Diwali as PM,” Singh noted. He cited a series of development projects, infrastructure investments, and security reforms introduced in the region since 2014 as reasons why the BJP deserves broader support.

“In the last 11 years, the Prime Minister has given J&K the highest priority — from roads to railways, from education to employment, from grassroots democracy to ending corruption. Strengthening the BJP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha will ensure these efforts continue and are represented robustly in Parliament,” he added.