After deciding not to contest Rajya Sabha elections, the Congress has left Nagrota and Budgam Assembly seats for the National Conference.

Congress leaders said taking into account broader parameters and principles of the coalition, the Central leadership of the Indian National Congress has decided to leave Nagrota seat for its ally-the National Conference in large interests and goals to defeat the BJP.
They said a decision to this effect was taken after detailed deliberations over a report of the JKPCC and taking into account various factors including the fact that in 2024 Assembly elections, NC candidate had polled more votes than Congress in Nagrota seat.
The Congress has also decided to leave Budgam seat for the NC.
Both NC and Congress had contested Nagrota seat in 2024 polls on friendly basis. The BJP's Devender Rana had won the seat while NC's candidate was the runner up.
BJP has fielded Devyani Rana , who is daughter of late Devender Singh Rana, from the Nagrota seat.
The seat fell vacant following the sudden demise of Devender Rana.
Meanwhile, NC today decided to field District Development Council member Shamim Begum as its candidate for the constituency.
NC’s Provincial President for Jammu, Rattan Lal Gupta, said the party has decided to nominate DDC member Shamim Begum as its candidate for the seat after Congress decided against contesting the seat.
A Muslim Gujjar woman, Shamim Begum won the 2020 district development council elections from Nagrota.
The ties between the National Conference and Congress have taken a hit after the former refused to offer the latter a safe seat in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, scheduled for October 24.
The NC had offered Congress the unsafe seat (Seat No 4) , which the latter declined to contest.
The Congress leadership is miffed over the National Conference’s ‘reneging’ on its commitment to offer a ‘safe’ seat to the party in the Rajya Sabha polls.