After 6-year hiatus, Kashmir’s key political players seek to bring power back to people
Anantnag, Oct 7: “When you're waiting for election results, every second feels like an hour. If you win, an hour feels like a second. That's relativity,” wrote Iltija Mufti on the microblogging site X.
The charismatic Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and daughter of Party President Mehbooba Mufti contested for the first time from her hometown Bijbehara in south Kashmir.
When asked about her expectations, Iltija told Greater Kashmir, "Let’s wait for the results."
Lately, Iltija has been outspoken about the amendments made by the JK administration that have curtailed the powers of the elected assembly. "With the LG nominating five MLAs and the Chief Secretary changing the transaction of business rules, it's clear that the incoming government will be powerless. How much more will the Government of India strip J&K of any semblance of authority and autonomy? A rubber stamp CM is just a glorified mayor of a municipality," she posted on X.
Senior PDP leader Mehboob Beg is optimistic that his party will perform well in south Kashmir.
“PDP was born in south Kashmir, and the people here have high expectations from us. We hope they once again give us the opportunity to represent their aspirations,” Beg said.
He is contesting from the Anantnag seat in a tough race against coalition candidate and former Congress minister Peerzada Saeed, Apni Party candidate Hilal Ahmad Shah, and independent candidate Peer Mansoor Hussain, a former PDP legislator.
Beg, who has previously represented the Anantnag constituency twice on a National Conference (NC) ticket in 1983 and 2002, is hoping for a comeback.
CPI (M) leader Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami, who is seeking his fifth consecutive win from the Kulgam constituency, believes that the elected assembly will offer people a platform to express dissent.
"There’s no room for dissent in the current setup, so the only option left is the assembly," said Tarigami, adding that restoring J&K's constitutional status will be a priority. "The immediate concerns of all regions and communities, including the return of full statehood, will take precedence."
Tarigami also highlighted the high unemployment rate in J&K and the lack of recruitment over the past decade, despite the numerous vacancies, as an issue that needs to be addressed in the assembly.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, contesting from the Dooru assembly segment, echoed similar sentiments. He emphasized that the National Conference and Congress coalition will prioritize restoring full statehood with all powers. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that only he has the authority to restore statehood, and rightly so. But we want it fully empowered like other states in the country," said Mir. He also stressed that the election of nominated legislators should be the prerogative of the state cabinet, not the Lieutenant Governor.
Mir further promised to address the 1 lakh vacant jobs and increase the ration quota if elected. He has previously won the Dooru seat in 2002 and 2008 but lost in 2014 to PDP candidate Farooq Andrabi by a narrow margin.
Senior NC leader and former MLC Syed Bashir Ahmad Veeri, who is competing against Iltija in Bijbehara, pledged to continue the fight for J&K's lost identity. “We acceded to secular India, and the constitution guaranteed us rights like many others in the country. But we were stripped of our rights and identity. Preserving our identity, land rights, and jobs will be our top priority," said Veeri.
He is the son of NC stalwart Abdul Gani Veeri, who represented the Bijbehara constituency four times and defeated PDP Patron Muhammad Saeed three times.
However, in the 1996 assembly elections, Saeed’s daughter Mehbooba Mufti defeated the veteran leader. Mehbooba, then a Congress candidate, made her electoral debut in that election.
Bashir Veeri, however, lost the 2008 and 2014 assembly elections, both times to PDP leader Abdul Rehman Bhat Veeri.
