Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija Mufti, will contest the upcoming assembly polls from the Bijbehara constituency.
Iltija’s name appeared in the list of eight candidates released by the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday. She gained prominence during the time her mother was detained following the revocation of Article 370.
It is reported that Mehbooba Mufti will not contest the assembly polls, and her daughter Iltija, 37, will be the party's face in South Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti had also made her electoral debut from Bijbehara in 1996, a constituency known as a stronghold of the Mufti family.
In mid-August 2019, amidst a complete communication blackout and lockdown, she wrote a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, questioning the reasons behind her detention at her Srinagar residence.
Iltija was granted permission to leave the Valley and sought the Supreme Court's approval to visit her mother, which was ultimately approved.
Following Mehbooba’s release, Iltija regularly accompanied her during media interactions and meetings. In June 2022, she started a fortnightly video series on X called “Aapki baat Iltija ke saath” (conversations with Iltija), aimed at discussing issues and decisions that impact the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
A political science graduate from Delhi University, Iltija earned her master’s degree in international relations from Warwick University in the UK.
Mehbooba Mufti's uncle to contest from Devsar
{{/usCountry}}A political science graduate from Delhi University, Iltija earned her master’s degree in international relations from Warwick University in the UK.
Mehbooba Mufti's uncle to contest from Devsar
{{/usCountry}}Among the other candidates, the party has fielded senior leader Abdul Rehman Veeri from Anantnag East and Mufti’s uncle Sartaj Ahmad Madani from Devsar.
Former Lok Sabha MP Mehboob Beg will be contesting from Anantnag, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura from Charar-i-Sharief, and Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani from Watchi.
The party's youth leader, Waheed Para, who contested the recent Lok Sabha elections from the Srinagar constituency and lost to the National Conference's Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, has been fielded from Anantnag. The party has also nominated Rafiq Ahmad Naik from Tral.
The elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be held on September 18, 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.