J&K polls: For first time in decades, Kashmiri pandit woman to contest

Jammu and Kashmir's upcoming Assembly election will witness a first in decades, with Daisy Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit woman, in the fray.

Raina, a former private sector employee in Delhi and sarpanch of Frisal village in Pulwama, is the only candidate fielded by the Republican Party of India (Athawale), an ally of the BJP.

She will be running from Rajpora in Pulwama and is one of just nine women contesting.

'Not planned'

While serving as a sarpanch, she regularly engaged with young people, listened to their concerns, and tried to understand their struggles. According to her, the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, especially those born in the 1990s, have endured immense suffering despite being innocent, witnessing violence throughout their lives.

When asked if Ramdas Athawale’s recent visit, where he advocated for the restoration of statehood, influenced her decision to contest, she denied it, adding that she hadn’t initially planned to run. The youth even suggested she could fix Pulwama if given a chance as chief minister for a day.

Despite Pulwama’s troubled past, including the 2019 CRPF attack, Raina doesn’t view the region negatively. She feels that progress is being made and all necessary work is being done. She added that any problems that arise are ones that the people have created themselves.

'No major issues'

Though she belongs to a different community, Raina noted that she hasn’t faced any issues. She used to travel freely in Pulwama without any security and didn't feel the need for personal security officers.

Over the years, she contributed to local development, including constructing a Shivling in Pulwama at the request of Muslims, after she had built a wazukhana (ablution pond) for them. They wanted her to also do something for the Hindu community to maintain balance.

This will be the first election in J&K as a Union Territory, with voting set for 90 seats in three phases from September 18 to October 1, and counting on October 8.