BJP's New Face Shagun Parihar Wins From Kishtwar

BJP candidate Shagun Parihar, in her debut polls won from Kishtwar.  She has defeated National Conference (NC) leader and former minister Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo by a thin margin of 521 votes.

Parihar, aged 29, is pursuing a doctorate in electronics. Though she had no plans to join politics at least anytime soon, a tragic event has changed all her plans. On November 1, 2018, Shagun’s father, Ajit Parihar, and her uncle and veteran BJP leader and then secretary, Anil Parihar, were shot dead in a terrorist attack in Kishtwar.

She stressed that these elections are not just about her or her family but for all those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation. Through the candidacy of Parihar, the BJP aims to garner emotional votes in their favour.

Since her uncle was a strong BJP leader from the district, politics is not an alien territory for Parihar. She was active in local politics since student days. The development of all communities and advancement of mountainous Kishtwar district is her avid goal, Parihar stated.

In the 2014 elections, BJP Senior Leader and Jammu and Kashmir UT General Secretary Sunil Kumar Sharma wrested the constituency from NC. Sunil Sharma defeated then sitting NC MP Sajad Kichloo by a margin of 2,852 votes and became minister as well.

Sajjad Kichloo serves as the Zonal President of the NC and is a former minister. A scion of the influential Kichloo family, he is the son of NC veteran Bashir Ahmad Kichloo.