Srigufwara-Bijbehara, A Prestige Battle For The Mufti's
Srigufwara-Bijbehara in South Kashmir is known as Mufti family’s home turf and a traditional PDP stronghold. As the constituency is gearing up for the upcoming Assembly election, Iltija Mufti, the third generation member from the family is to mark her political debut from the seat.
Iltija Mufti is pitted against National Conference (NC) veteran Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri. Even though BJP’s former legislator Sufi Yusuf is in the poll fray, the contest is mostly viewed as a direct fight between PDP and NC.
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There is also longstanding family feud lies over the seat between both parties. NC leader Abdul Ghani Shah Veeri has defeated PDP founder and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed from the seat twice. He has been close to Sheikh Abdullah’s close associate and has been elected MLA from Bijbehara four times. Abdul Ghani Veeri is the son of Dr. Bashir Veeri.
Mehbooba Mufti, PDP chief and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mehbooba’s father and Iltija’s grandfather, launched their career from the constituency even before the formation of PDP. Both served as chief ministers of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti made her electoral debut in 1996 from the constituency on a Congress ticket.
Iltija entered into politics when Mehbooba Mufti was imprisoned following the abrogation of Article 370. She was seen campaigning for her mother’s release and later filled in as media adviser for the PDP chief. Iltija was also active in the campaigns for Mufti during the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.
Meanwhile, the veteran PDP leader and Mufti loyalist Abdul Rehman Bhat (Veeri) who previously secured this seat four times from Bijbehara has shifted to Anantnag East to pave way for Iltija Mufti.
Dr. Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri
After two successive losses in the constituency, Dr. Bashir Veeri is contesting again to wrest Bijbehara. He appeared confident that he will defeat Iltija and apparently he has strengthened his base in the assembly segment. “In recent years, the National Conference, led by Bashir Veeri, has been actively engaging with the public, especially after the abrogation of Article 370, which has given him a slight advantage,” the Kashmiriyat quotes as Kounsar, a political expert is saying.
During the campaigns, NC and Veer’s supporters banks on the growing anti-incumbency sentiment against the PDP. Besides, Dr. Veeri constantly stressed the PDP’s past coalition with the BJP. “In 2014, a strong PDP wave secured their victory easily, but this time, people will remember the betrayal of joining hands with the BJP and cast their votes accordingly,” the Kashmiriyat quotes as Dr Veeri is saying.
In the 2008 elections, Dr Veeri lost election to Bhat by a margin of 10274 votes. However, in 2014 elections Dr Veeri has reduced the vote margin to just 2868 votes.
A former police constable, Yousuf is one of the founding members of the BJP in Kashmir and one of the BJP’s most senior Kashmiri Muslim leaders.
Though the electoral field is not new to Yousuf, he has not tasted victory in the polls so far. He unsuccessfully contested Assembly polls in 2002, 2008, and 2014, and parliamentary elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014 on BJP tickets.
However, when the BJP-PDP coalition government came to power in 2015, he got elected as the Member of the Legislative Council, the Upper House of the J&K Legislative Assembly, and became the BJP’s first Kashmir Muslim lawmaker.
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As NC through Dr Veeri’s candidacy is attempting to break PDP’s fortress, for Iltija, winning the seat is not just about maintaining the stronghold but to ensure that family’s connection to the constituency remain intact. Meanwhile, though popular reports states the election to be a contest between NC and PDP, BJP hopes division of votes may work in their favour.
Srigufwara-Bijbehara is one among the 24 constituencies which will go to booths on September 18, in the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election.
