NC reclaims Bijbehara as PDP faces defeat in Mufti's hometown

Anantnag, Oct 8: In 1996, Mehbooba Mufti first rose to prominence by winning the assembly elections in her hometown, Bijbehara, running on a Congress ticket.

Three years later, after her father, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, founded the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba vacated the seat.

In the by-elections, his close associate, Abdul Rehman Veeri, defeated National Conference (NC) stalwart Abdul Gani Shah Veeri. Both candidates, from the same village, shared the surname.

Shah had previously defeated Mufti twice, in the 1977 and 1983 elections, and again in the contentious 1987 election, narrowly beating Jamat-i-Islami leader Advocate Muhammad Sultan, who ran on the Muslim United Front (MUF) ticket.

Mufti Sayeed himself only won once from Bijbehara, in 1967, when he was elected unopposed due to the NC boycotting the elections.

However, Mehbooba's entry into politics brought a shift in fortune for the family.

In subsequent years, PDP secured victories in the 2002, 2008, and 2014 assembly elections, with Rehman Veeri winning each time.

For the 2024 assembly elections, PDP fielded Iltija Mufti, Mehbooba's daughter, in Bijbehara. Meanwhile, Rehman Veeri contested in the reconfigured Anantnag East-Shangus seat, where he lost to NC's Riyaz Ahmad Khan by a substantial margin.

Iltija was also unable to retain Bijbehara, losing to Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri. Shah, a former MLC, had lost the 2008 and 2014 elections to Veeri, but this time secured victory.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir, an elated Shah promised to continue the struggle for Jammu and Kashmir's identity. “We acceded to secular India, and the Constitution guaranteed us rights like every other citizen. But we were stripped of those rights and our identity. Preserving our identity, land rights, and jobs will be our top priority,” he said, also pledging to work for Bijbehara's overall development.

Iltija, meanwhile, acknowledged her defeat on social media platform X.

"I accept the people's verdict. The love and affection I received from everyone in Bijbehara will always stay with me. My heartfelt gratitude to the PDP workers who worked tirelessly throughout this campaign,” she wrote.