For the first time in three decades, Kashmiri Pandit Daisy Raina is gearing up to contest the J&K Assembly Polls in a region witnessing young aspirants challenging the supremacy of the National Conference and Congress Party. Raina, a former employee of a private company in Delhi, has also taken on the responsibilities of the sarpanch of Frisal village in Pulwama district. She would be the only woman contesting the election from the Republican Party of India (Athawale), which is a political alliance partner of the BJP-led NDA. Her endeavor will be in the Assembly seat of Rajpora in Pulwama during the J&K Assembly Polls.

It was the local youth’s insistence that got Raina to join politics in a bid to represent their issues. She is among nine women who have vied for electoral contests in J&K that has been considered a big leap when it comes to gender quota in the region’s politics.

While speaking to NDTV, Ms Raina said "The youth forced me to contest and asked me to ensure that their voice reaches the J&K Assembly. I was working here as a sarpanch and, on the side, I would meet young people, hear them out and try to understand their problems. Our youth have been suffering despite not being guilty of anything. Young people born in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s have seen only bullets.”

J&K Assembly Polls
Image Source: The Beachcomber

Pulwama's Reputation and Development in Focus as J&K Assembly Polls Approach

During a recent visit to the Union Territory, Ramdas Athawale advocated for the restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. However, when Daisy Raina was asked if her candidacy for the Assembly elections was decided during this visit, she firmly denied any connection between the two events. She stated "I had not even thought of contesting the elections. Young people asked me to become the chief minister for one day, saying that I could fix Pulwama.”

Pulwama, known for its challenges, has also been a hotspot for militant activities and was the site of the tragic 2019 attack that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. When asked if she believed Pulwama had developed an unfavorable reputation because of this, Daisy Raina, the Republican Party of India (Athawale) leader, addressed the issue directly and said "I don't think so. Work is going on well. All my work is getting done... If there is a problem, we have created it."

Daisy Raina highlighted that, despite the limited presence of her Kashmiri Pandit community in the region, she has faced no difficulties in Pulwama. She said"When I came here to work, I used to move around in Pulwama without any security. I did not have any personal security officers (PSOs). Some people kept PSOs but I did not. I worked here for years and even established a Shivling in Pulwama. Muslims asked me to do so because I had got a wazukhana (ablution pond) constructed and did many other things for them. They said Hindus would get angry if I did not do anything for that community as well.”

Daisy Raina, who previously worked in New Delhi, was elected unopposed as a sarpanch in 2020. Jammu and Kashmir is set to hold its first election in nearly a decade, and its first as a Union Territory since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. The polls, covering 90 Assembly seats, will take place in three phases between September 18 and October 1, with the vote counting scheduled for October 8.

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