The National Conference and Congress alliance won 48 seats in J&K, but only two of the 30 Hindu candidates from the bloc were successful in the elections.
In the assembly polls held in Jammu and Kashmir after a hiatus of ten years, three women were elected among the 90 members, with one woman being a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Jammu region and the other two belonging to the National Conference in the Kashmir division.
The elected women include Shamima Firdous and Sakina Itoo from the National Conference, along with Shagun Parihar from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, they represent only 3.33 percent of the female representation in the 90-member House.
In the electoral battle, 41 women stepped into the fray, a rise from the 24 who sought their place in the 2014 contest.
The National Conference (NC) and Indian National Congress (INC) alliance secured a total of 48 seats. However, only two Hindu candidates emerged as winners out of the 30 candidates from the community fielded by the bloc.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) achieved victory in 29 seats, comprising 28 Hindu and one Sikh member, as none of their Muslim candidates, including two former ministers, were able to secure a win.
Three women face elected to the J&K Legislative Assembly
Shagun Parihar
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Shagun Parihar won from the Kishtwar constituency by 521 votes in the assembly election. The 29-year-old leader was facing a tough competition from National Conference candidate and former minister Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo. Parihar, a research scholar with an MTech degree in electrical power systems, was pursuing a PhD and preparing for the J&K Public Service Commission examination when she was nominated by the BJP for the high-stakes electoral battle.
In 2018, Parihar’s father, Ajit Parihar, and his brother, Anil, then the BJP state secretary, were killed by terrorists near their home, just before the panchayat polls. Regarded as a moderate voice in the BJP, her uncle Anil had managed to gain some support from the Muslim community. He remained engaged in Kishtwar politics throughout the height of militancy.
Shamima Fridous
A senior face of the National Conference, Shamima Firdous is party’s women wing president and defeated BJP’s Ashok Kumar Bhat by a thumping margin of 9,538 votes. Firdous was polled 12,437 votes compared to Bhat’s 2,899. This victory marks her return to the Habbakadal seat, which she previously held for two consecutive terms between 2008 and 2014 elections.
After her party lost power in 2014, Firdous has been at the forefront of mobilising women party workers in Srinagar and parts of the Valley, which helped the party garner support in the recent elections. She also held the position of Chairperson of the State Commission for Women in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir when the National Conference and Congress had a coalition government from 2008 to 2014.
Sakina Itoo
A former minister and senior leader of the National Conference, Sakina secured victory from the DH Pora assembly segment in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. She was polled 36,623 votes, achieving an impressive victory margin of 17,449 votes over her nearest rival, Gulzar Ahmed Dar of the Peoples Democratic Party.
With a rich portfolio, she has served as the minister for various departments including social welfare, administrative reforms, education and tourism. She was 26 years old when she won her first assembly election in 1996, making her the youngest member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
