SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 08: In a notable development, three women, including former minister Sakeena Masood from the National Conference (NC), have been elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. This marks a significant moment as they enter the male-dominated legislature. In contrast, two women made it to the Assembly in 2014, while three, including Mehbooba Mufti, were elected in 2008.
Among the newly elected women is Shagun Parihar, the only female candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who won the Kishtwar Assembly seat. Parihar narrowly defeated veteran National Conference leader and former minister Sajad Ahmed Kitchloo by 521 votes. Parihar secured 29,053 votes, while Kitchloo, a two-time winner in 2002 and 2008, received 28,532 votes. Parihar expressed gratitude, saying, “I bow before the people of Kishtwar for their faith in me and my party. Their support is deeply appreciated. This victory belongs to the nationalist people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Former minister Sakeena Masood of the National Conference also emerged victorious in the D H Pora Assembly seat in Kulgam district. Masood, who garnered 36,623 votes, defeated Gulzar Ahmed Dar, who polled 19,174 votes, by a margin of 17,449 votes. This win adds to her previous successes, having won the Noorabad seat (now renamed D H Pora) in 1996 and 2008. Her father, Wali Mohammad Itoo, had also won this seat four times.
Another National Conference candidate, Shamim Firdous, triumphed in the Habbakadal constituency in Srinagar, defeating BJP candidate Ashok Kumar Bhat by 9,538 votes. Shamim received 12,437 votes, securing her third term in the Assembly after previous victories in 2008 and 2014. The Habbakadal seat has been a stronghold for the National Conference, which has won the seat six times since 1977.
However, not all female candidates found success. Iltija Mufti, daughter of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, lost the election from the Surgufwara-Bijbehara constituency. Iltija, who polled 23,529 votes, was defeated by National Conference’s Bashir Ahmad Veeri, who secured 33,299 votes, a margin of 9,770 votes. Similarly, former PDP minister Asiea Naqash lost from the Hazratbal seat.
In this election, 41 women contested for Assembly seats, a rise from the 24 female candidates in 2014. In 2008, 67 women ran for office, with three winning seats, including Mehbooba Mufti and Sakeena Masood.
The election results reflect an increasing representation of women in the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, although challenges remain in achieving gender parity.