Who is Devyani Rana? New Nagrota MLA in J&K, winning the bypoll held after Devender Singh Rana’s passing

Nagrota witnessed a major political moment this November as Devyani Rana of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a sweeping victory in the assembly by-election. The seat had fallen vacant after the passing of her father, Devender Singh Rana. He was a well-known BJP leader in Jammu & Kashmir. And today, the people of Nagrota have chosen his daughter to carry the story forward.

Devyani Rana, an economics graduate from the University of California, is not just a familiar political name but also a businesswoman who has been managing her family’s ventures. Her campaign focused on development that is modern, professional and open to everyone. She spoke often about improving infrastructure and continuing the work her father began.

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After 11 rounds of counting, Devyani won the Nagrota bypoll with 42,350 votes finishing far ahead of every other candidate. Her final margin of victory was 24,647 votes.

Also Read: Bypolls Results 2025 LIVE: BJP’s Devyani Rana wins Nagrota, MNF’s R Lalthangliana takes Dampa

The closest contender was Harsh Dev Singh of the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (India), who ended the race with 17,703 votes. The other candidates including those from the National Conference, Aam Aadmi Party, Apni Party, and multiple independents trailed by huge margins. Even the NOTA option received over 10,000 votes.

#WATCH | Newly-elected BJP MLA from Nagrota, Devyani Rana says, “I am fortunate that the manner in which Nagrota blessed Rana sahib (her father, late MLA Devender Singh Rana), they did their duty of being a family today too and blessed me. I will be thankful to them…When BJP… https://t.co/9rT15GOlVC pic.x.com/sQmqebcDrS

— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2025

After her victory, the newly elected MLA expressed deep gratitude to the people of Nagrota. She said she felt honoured to receive the same warmth and trust that her father enjoyed for years.

“Nagrota blessed Rana sahib, and today they have blessed me too,” she said. She added that the BJP contests elections with the intention of winning and that the results in both Nagrota and Bihar reflect the party’s strong position.