The First Kashmiri Pandit Woman to Enter the Electoral Arena in JK, Daisy Raina! Can She Register a Victory?

Jammu Kashmir Elections: Daisy Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit, is contesting the election from Pulwama on a Republican Party of India (Athawale) ticket.

For the first time in three decades, a Kashmiri Pandit woman is set to contest the election. Daisy Raina is fighting the election from Pulwama on a Republican Party of India (Athawale) ticket – which was once a stronghold of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. Her decision to contest the election is a sign of change in the scenario. Raina is one of the nine women candidates who will try their luck in the upcoming assembly elections.

According to her, the atmosphere has remained peaceful since 2019, which has paved the way for her return and contesting the election from the Rajpora constituency. Moreover, nine women candidates are in the fray in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Out of these nine women candidates, five are from the Kashmir division and four are from the Jammu division. The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, which have been delayed for over a decade, are scheduled to take place on September 18, 2024.

Which Party has Dominated Pulwama

Pulwama assembly constituency is one of the 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. It is numbered as constituency 34 and is part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. This constituency is a general seat and is not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) or Scheduled Tribes (ST). The main parties in this constituency are the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). JKPDP’s Mohammad Khalil Bandh had represented the Pulwama constituency three times in 2014, 2008, and 2002. In 1996 and 1987, JKNC’s Bashir Ahmad Nengroo had won the constituency.