NVI Correspondent
Srinagar, Sep 2 (NVI): With stage set for the first phase of Assembly polls in J&K starting from September 18, Bijbehera Assembly constituency in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district will witness one of the toughest battles.
There will be a direct battle between National Conference candidate Dr Bashir Ahmed Veeri and Iltija Mufti, the daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
Iltija is contesting for the first time even as her mother and former Chief Minister of erstwhile J&K State Mehbooba has decided to stay out of the Assembly polls on the pretext that upcoming Assembly and the Chief Minister won’t have a power to even revoke one single FIR.
NVI Correspondent while gauging the mood in Bijbehara felt that there will be neck to neck competition between NC’s Veeri and PDP’s Iltija. The seat is divided into two portions—uptown and villages spreading over 100 localities. Iltija banks on her grandfather late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed’s and her mother Mehbooba Mufti’s vote bank in the town and the adjoining areas while Veeri has a large vote base spread in the villages.
During her campaigning, Iltija apologised to people for mistakes made by her party or some other leader of the party in the past but woos people on the pretext that “I am brave, I am wise and I am competent enough to raise your issues in the Assembly and seek their resolution as well.”However, it remains to be seen whether people would choose her instead of her mother.
September 18 will seal the fate of both Veeri and Iltija. In Bijbehara town, there are committed voters of PDP but at the same time there is silent resentment against Mehbooba for forging alliance with the BJP in 2015 and the subsequent mishandling of situation post top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s killing in May 2016. A group of youth still vividly remember Mehbooba’s remarks during a presser where Union Minister Rajnath Singh, “Kya bachay camp mei toffee lenay gayay thay.” Mehbooba was trolled for these comments.
Talking to NVI exclusively, NC candidate Dr Veeri said that no competition is easy but this time “NC has the sentimental benefit.” “My vote base is intact and the mood on ground looks pro-NC. That’s really an advantage. I believe apart from sadak, bijili and pani, there are larger political issues which we have talked about in the manifesto that people yearn for,” he said. “I believe I have a direct contest with the PDP though a BJP candidate is also in the fray.”
There are 102081 voters of which 50728 are males, and 51353 are female voters. There 124 polling stations 16 in urban and 109 in rural areas.
Even as Dr Veeri and Iltija will lock horns in Bijbehara, BJP candidate Sofi Yousuf will also make the contest interesting. “People are with me,” claimed Sofi. “They want change and new leadership. They have tested others in the past. They want a BJP representative. I am sure about my victory given peoples’ support and mood on ground.” (News Vibes of India )
