Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Ur Rehman Para has comfortably won the South Kashmir’s Pulwama constituency in the assembly election. As per the ECI results, Para secured a total number of 24,716 votes.
Para was pitted against National Conference (NC) leader and former minister Mohammad Khalil Band, who was once a prominent figure in the PDP.
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The constituency has been a stronghold of the PDP since 2022, but this time, the National Conference made significant efforts to wrest control from them.
Para, known as a promising youth leader of the PDP, made his entry into electoral politics in 2020 while in custody of the National Investigation Agency for alleged links to militants.
Despite his incarceration, he won the District Development Council (DDC) elections from Pulwama, defeating BJP candidate Sajad Ahmad Raina.
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{{/usCountry}}After being imprisoned for 18 months, Para was released on bail in May 2022. He was later fielded by the PDP in the Lok Sabha elections from the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency but was defeated by National Conference leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi.
The Pulwama constituency has a history of violence, including the February 2019 attack on a CRPF bus in Lethpora, which left 40 jawans dead and changed the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir. The district has also witnessed several encounters.
Waheed Para's political journey
During his campaign, Para sought votes based on the work his party has done over the last 20 years, particularly in the construction of road networks, AIIMS, and other developmental projects.
Waheed entered politics in 2013 and was soon appointed as the youth wing President of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party.
He later served as the secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council from July 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when terrorists targeted his vehicle in Central Kashmir's Budgam district.
Waheed was an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) fellow and one of the few Indian politicians invited by the US government.
He was also invited to the Australia-India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) in 2019 but couldn't attend due to his detention after August 5, 2019.