Jammu and Kashmir’s upcoming Assembly election is poised to make history again, as a Kashmiri Pandit woman will be contesting for the first time in three decades. Daisy Raina, previously employed with a private company in Delhi and currently serving as a sarpanch in the region, is the sole candidate fielded by the Republican Party of India (Athawale), a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Raina, one of only nine women contesting the elections, is running for the Rajpora Assembly seat in Pulwama. NDTV quoted her as saying that her decision to enter the political fray was prompted by the local youth, who urged her to represent their concerns in the Assembly. She explained that during her tenure as a sarpanch, she frequently interacted with young people, listening to their challenges. Many, she noted, had grown up amid violence, having known nothing but conflict since the 1990s.
Although Pulwama has been associated with terrorist activities, including the deadly 2019 attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel, Raina downplayed the region’s negative image. She expressed confidence in the ongoing developmental work and added that any problems were of their own making, rather than inherent to the region.
Despite being a Kashmiri Pandit, Raina emphasised that she had faced no difficulties working in Pulwama, despite the limited presence of her community. She mentioned moving around without the need for security officers and noted the support she received from the local Muslim community, especially after she contributed to the construction of a wazukhana (ablution pond). Her efforts to foster communal harmony, she said, also led to the establishment of a Shivling in the area, following suggestions from the locals, according to NDTV.
Raina, who worked in New Delhi before being elected unopposed as a sarpanch in 2020, will be participating in Jammu and Kashmir’s first election as a Union Territory, following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Elections in J&K in three phases
The elections in J&K will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, 2024. The results will be declared on October 8, alongside the Haryana Assembly election results.
This marks the first election in the valley since Article 370 was abrogated and the region’s “special status” was revoked, halting political activities for five years.
The last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir took place in 2014, but the government fell in 2018 when the BJP withdrew its support from Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration.
First Published: Sep 06 2024 | 3:55 PM IST
