Srinagar: Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, on Tuesday became the third generation politician from the Mufti family to jump into electoral fray as she filed her nomination from party’s stronghold Bijbehara assembly seat in Jammu and Kashmir.
Accompanied by her mother Mehbooba Mufti and hundreds of supporters, Iltija Mufti filed her papers before the returning officer for Bijbehara assembly seat which has been represented by family loyalist Abdul Rehman Veeri for the past four consecutive terms.
Talking to reporters after filing her nomination, Iltija Mufti said she will raise “injustice and harassment meted out to people of Kashmir” in the assembly.
“I have always stood by truth and will continue to do it,” she added.
Iltija Mufti said it was a very emotional moment for her as her mother and grandfather Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had also taken their first electoral plunges from Bijbehara seat. While Sayeed had won from this south Kashmir seat in 1962, Mehbooba Mufti made her electoral debut from this seat in 1996 with a win.
Iltija Mufti thanked the party leadership for fielding her from Bijbehara seat in the three-phase assembly polls.
She visited the grave of Sayeed before filing her nomination papers. “I could feel his soul was with me,” she added.

  Election, Kashmir, Kashmir 370, Mehbooba Mufti

KR Desk