j-k-polls-iltija-mufti-to-contest-for-pdp-from-bijbehara

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday issued the first list of its candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

 

Iltija Mufti, daughter of former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, will contest from the Bijbehara Assembly seat in south Kashmir.

 

The list, released by the party's general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, named eight candidates and the seats they will be contesting from. 

 

Other candidates include Abdul Rehman Veeri, Sartaj Ahmad Madani, Dr Mehbooba Beg, GN Lone Hanjura, Waheed Para, Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani, and Rafiq Ahmad Wani.

 

Bijbehara was also home to late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Mehbooba’s father and a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Iltija, 35, also serves as a media adviser to the PDP. 

 

She came into the limelight in 2019 during the abrogation of Article 370. 

 

Criticising the decision, Iltija handled her mother's social media accounts to make Mehbooba’s opinions clear on the matter.

 

She also campaigned intensively for her mother, who contested from the Anantnag seat during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. 

 

PDP’s decision to field Iltija in the Assembly elections did not surprise political pundits as she actively managed the party’s poll campaigns during the Parliamentary elections.

 

"Nothing surprising about Iltija taking a lead role,” said one of the analysts from Jammu. 

 

He added she made herself known as a vocal and articulate youth leader during previous campaigns and “Her standing for the Assembly election will be a significant factor.”

 

Party insiders said that with Mehbooba not likely to contest polls, Iltjia is likely to be projected as the PDP’s “face”.

 

The party’s other candidates include  Veeri, a senior leader of PDP and a former minister, who will contest from the Anantnag East seat. Mehbooba Mufti’s uncle, he was a former Deputy Speaker in the Legislative Assembly.

 

Dr Mehbooba Beg, a former Lok Sabha MP, will contest from Anantnag. 

 

Hanjura, the general secretary of the party, will stand from Chari Shareef in central Kashmir. 

 

Waheed Para, a prominent youth leader of the PDP, will be contesting from Pulwama. 

 

Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani and Rafiq Ahmad Wani will be standing from Watchi and Tral, respectively.