Srinagar, Nov 14: The Budgam assembly bypoll, which saw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) create history by ending the National Conference (NC’s uninterrupted 67-year dominance of the constituency, also produced a significant pattern at the bottom of the results: the None of the Above (NOTA) option secured more votes than seven candidates, signalling a clear message of dissatisfaction from sections of the electorate.

A total of 17 candidates were in the fray, and 63,099 votes were polled in the by-election.

The contest was won by PDP’s Aga Syed Muntazir, who secured 21,576 votes, defeating NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood, who received 17,098.

The bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah vacated Budgam last year, choosing to retain his Ganderbal seat after winning from both cons

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