Srinagar:
An election of firsts in Jammu and Kashmir is ready to see one other – a girl Kashmiri Pandit shall be contesting the Meeting polls for the primary time in three a long time. Daisy Raina, who used to work at a personal firm in Delhi and has been a sarpanch of Frisal village in Pulwama, is the lone candidate fielded by the Republican Get together of India (Athawale), which is an ally of the BJP as a part of the NDA alliance.
Ms Raina, who shall be contesting from the Rajpora Meeting constituency in Pulwama and is one in every of solely 9 ladies contesting the J&Ok polls, stated she determined to make the leap as a result of she was compelled to take action by youth, who wished her to be their voice.
“The youth compelled me to contest and requested me to make sure that their voice reaches the J&Ok Meeting. I used to be working right here as a sarpanch and, on the aspect, I might meet younger individuals, hear them out and try to perceive their issues. Our youth have been struggling regardless of not being responsible of something. Younger individuals born in Jammu and Kashmir within the Nineteen Nineties have seen solely bullets,” Ms Raina instructed EDNBOX in Hindi.
Ramdas Athawale had visited the Union Territory just lately and stated that statehood needs to be restored, and when Ms Raina was requested whether or not that was when it was determined that she would contest the Meeting elections, she answered within the unfavorable.
“I had not even considered contesting the elections. Younger individuals requested me to grow to be the chief minister for sooner or later, saying that I may repair Pulwama,” she stated.
Aside from the opposite issues confronted by residents, Pulwama has been a hotbed of terrorists and the positioning of the 2019 assault by which 40 Central Reserve Police Pressure (CRPF) personnel have been killed. To a query on whether or not she thought Pulwama had an unsavoury status, the Republican Get together of India (Athawale) chief stated, “I do not suppose so. Work is happening nicely. All my work is getting accomplished… If there’s a downside, we now have created it.”
Ms Raina emphasised that she has skilled no difficulties regardless of not having many individuals from her neighborhood dwelling within the area.
“Once I got here right here to work, I used to maneuver round in Pulwama with none safety. I didn’t have any private safety officers (PSOs). Some individuals saved PSOs however I didn’t. I labored right here for years and even established a Shivling in Pulwama. Muslims requested me to take action as a result of I had bought a wazukhana (ablution pond) constructed and did many different issues for them. They stated Hindus would get offended if I didn’t do something for that neighborhood as nicely,” she stated.
Ms Raina labored in New Delhi after which bought elected unopposed as a sarpanch in 2020.
Jammu and Kashmir will see its first election in practically 10 years in addition to its first as a Union Territory after it was stripped of its particular standing below Article 370 in 2019. Voting shall be performed for the UT’s 90 seats in three phases between September 18 and October 1. Counting will happen on October 8.