"Not a small thing to become CM for 10th time": Omar Abdullah reacts to Bihar results, says Nitish Kumar's welfare push paid off

Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) [India], November 14 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday reacted to the Bihar Assembly election results and his party's loss in the Budgam by-poll, saying that political behaviour in both states showed how voters often look beyond issues and governance.
"When I look at Bihar's condition, I feel less sad about my own," Abdullah told reporters, adding, "I knew the Budgam elections wouldn't be easy because there is a huge section here that doesn't vote on the basis of issues or by looking at the work being done."
Commenting on the Bihar result, Abdullah took a dig at the Congress, saying the party had expected extensive gains after its "vote-chori yatra."
"After the 'vote-chori' yatra, Congress felt that they would get success on far more seats," he said.
He credited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for turning the electoral tide in his favour despite facing anti-incumbency.
"But looking at the result, instead of falling prey to anti-incumbency, Nitish Kumar turned it into incumbency and took advantage of being in power. It is not a small thing to become the CM for the 10th time."
Abdullah added that Nitish Kumar's welfare outreach, especially schemes targeting women, played a decisive role.
"One thing is for sure, Nitish Kumar kept caste aside and launched schemes for the women, which benefited him greatly," the Chief Minister said, adding that other governments could learn from his approach.
Devyani Rana of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Nagrota seat with 42,350 votes, securing a victory margin of 24,647.
Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (India) finished second with 17,703 votes, while Shamim Begum of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference stood third with 10,872 votes, losing by 31,478.
Polling for the bye-elections in Nagrota was held following the death of BJP MLA Devender Rana.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) clinched victory in the Budgam Assembly by-election on Friday, with party candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi winning by a margin of 4,478 votes after all 17 rounds of counting.