Jammu And Kashmir: Daisy Raina Steps Up As First Kashmiri Pandit Woman Candidate In Assembly Election In 32 Years

A navy blue banner of the Republican Party of India (Athawale), spread across the bonnet of a car carries three people's faces on it — Dr B R Ambedkar, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, and Daisy Raina.

Raina, presently a sarpanch in Pulwama's Frisal village, is creating history by becoming the first Kashmiri Pandit woman to contest the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections after a gap of 32 years — since the time the minority Hindu community was forced out of the valley by Islamists.

Raina is contesting the election from the Rajpora assembly constituency on an RPI ticket. The RPI is one of the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance.

'Dabangg Aunty' Image

Having moved to Delhi's Dwarka, Raina had a job in the private sector for many years and kept herself busy as her family had to restart a new life in the dust and heat of the National Capital Region — far away from the valley.

"Now that I am done with my basic responsibilities with my children, I am a free soul. Every weekend, I am in Pulwama, where my ancestral home once was," she tells Swarajya.

After Jammu and Kashmir was declared a union territory, Raina was elected unopposed as the sarpanch of the Frisal panchayat. This was just five months after the deadly attack in the district that took the lives of nearly 40 soldiers belonging to the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF).

Having gathered enough support from the youth, women, as well as people from Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Raina believes that she is ready for the electoral plunge — contesting the J&K assembly elections from the Rajpora assembly constituency.

In total, nine women candidates are contesting in the first phase of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir this time, with five from Kashmir and the other four from Jammu.

Raina is one among them.

She says that her voters wish for 'Dabangg aunty' to become a chief minister just for a day — just like Anil Kapoor in the movie Nayak.

'Long Way To Go'

She is certainly not shy of embracing such an image. She believes that the politics of faith and family divided innocent Kashmiris on the lines of religion back in the day.

But Raina remains confident that "there will be a day when Hindus and Muslims of the valley will coexist peacefully", and put aside whatever bad blood the region has seen in the past.

A follower of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar, Raina believes that conflicts can be resolved with the right intervention. According to her, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government did a great job abrogating article 370 and 35A, as she stands as an example of the change one expected to see.

"But it will take time to see the bigger changes, such as Pandits returning to the valley," she says.

According to Raina, now that terrorism has been largely wiped out from the valley, addressing unemployment, water issues and development is on her agenda.

"One officer takes care of many areas, but many posts are left vacant. Instead, Kashmiri youth can be given more jobs; they will take care of the local welfare and development," she adds.

'Learn From The Pandits'

Raina gives an example of her own community to her constituents.

"Pandits had to leave overnight, leaving all their wealth back. We built our lives from scratch, and look at us, we are back and how," she says, citing her community as role-models worthy of emulating.

Raina believes that the average Kashmiri woman is now beginning to get empowered. "Girls here want more freedom, and aspire for the same level of freedom that Delhi or Mumbai offers," she says.

"They are everywhere: driving cars freely on the streets, working in hotels as managers and receptionists and even serving as administrators in several districts".

Reflecting on her early days as sarpanch, she recalls, "When I took over as the sarpanch, people here had no awareness of the government schemes, and benefits through Ayushman Bharat, Awas Yojana, Ujjawala Yojana, etc. Now as you saw, people are fully utilising these benefits — and rightfully so."

However, she remains realistic about political acceptance in the region.

"If the BJP is not accepted here, I leave that to the people to decide".

Yet, she points out, that the frustration with traditional parties is evident, and many locals now see the BJP as a party that has delivered on its promises.

'Locals Are Trusting Their Voting Power This Time'

The people of Pulwama seem more invested in this election cycle.

When Swarajya visited the district hospital in Pulwama, many patients praised the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme and how their 'golden card' has made healthcare more accessible.

A few years back, healthcare was almost unaffordable in private hospitals in the state. But with the new scheme in place, many people we spoke to seemed genuinely satisfied with the progress made in government healthcare facilities, specifically post 2019.

“The authorities have become more responsive. Accountability has increased, and we are witnessing development through various schemes,” a staff member at the district hospital tells Swarajya.

He adds, “You should also see the Jan Aushadhi Kendra, which has been very helpful to the patients here. The Centre in total has provided affordable medicines, vaccinations, and free surgeries to nearly 2,000 patients.”

“Such changes have actually renewed faith in the elections, and people now feel that tangible progress is being made. For the same reason, people now want to vote, as they look forward to see what further improvements the government can bring.”

It is not only about the developments. Historically, Pulwama, like other parts of south Kashmir, was a hotbed of militancy, with local insurgencies dominating the region. People were too afraid to leave their homes, to attend political rallies or vote.

“This time, things have changed. The youth are actively participating in rallies, and there is hope that voter turnout will increase,” says Younis, a resident of Pulwama.

“This change has come with the decline in militancy and the control over lawlessness that was once common here,” he adds.

As fear has subsided, people are moving about more freely, and tourism in the region has picked up.

Many locals are keen to see new and young leaders step up and are becoming more aware about their vote and their electoral choices and its consequences.

September-October will see Jammu and Kashmir hold its first assembly election in nearly a decade, and its first as a Union Territory, following the removal of its special status under article 370 in 2019.

The election will be held for 90 seats in the UT across three phases, starting from 18 September and concluding on 1 October, with the vote counting scheduled for 8 October 2024.