Jammu and Kashmir is all set to witness its first polls after the abrogation of Article 370 and what makes the elections even more special is a Kashmiri Pandit woman contesting for the first time after more than three decades of the community’s exodus from the Valley.
Daisy Raina, a Kashmiri Hindu who left the Valley in the 90s after militancy broke out, is the only candidate fielded by the Republican Party of India (Athawale) — a BJP ally. Raina will contest from the Rajpora assembly seat in Pulwama district, which was once a terror hotbed in South Kashmir.
The 56-year-old, who left her corporate job in New Delhi and moved to Kashmir in 2020 to fight the sarpanch elections from Trichal, shared her journey with News18 as she interacted with locals in the Valley.
Moving through an apple orchard in Pulwama, Raina is occasionally greeted by those who know her. “Pain for Kashmir brought me here. It doesn’t matter whether I win or lose,” she told News18 during a door-to-door meeting.
Raina said her interaction with the youth of Kashmir forced her to contest the assembly elections. She was elected as sarpanch unopposed after which she worked on the ground to know the “reality” of the erstwhile state.
“I love Kashmir. I felt the innocent people of this land were used for many reasons. I kept explaining to the people of my community that not all can be blamed for our exodus. Maybe a poor person was lured for violence. I feel people will accept me in this election. After my daughter got married and my responsibilities were over, I told my husband that I want to return to Kashmir,” she told News18.
Raina explained that during her tenure as sarpanch, she frequently interacted with young people who had grown up amid violence.
“I feel we need to speak to the youth who witnessed violence their entire childhood. They only saw bullets, hartals, and internet shutdown. We need to ask the youth why they were lured by violence,” she says.
Recalling her childhood in Kashmir, Raina says: “In the 90s, my parents told me we have to leave. It was January when we shifted to Jammu but I always dreamt of Kashmir. I used to dream about my room and a chinar tree adjacent to our house.”
Raina said her husband was initially not on board with her decision to return to the Valley but she urged him to make the move as she wanted to work for the people of Kashmir.
“My husband was concerned about the security situation here but I came back and worked as a sarpanch. A lot of work has been done by the BJP in J&K but I don’t understand why people don’t accept the party in the Valley,” she said.
Raina also believes the violence in the 90s was orchestrated to separate Hindus and Muslims and create hate between the communities. “I have received love from the Muslim community. Youth wanted me to contest and raise their issues. Earlier, I was criticised by Hindus for my speeches but now, they are convinced about my work,” she said.
Confident that Muslims will vote for her and ensure her victory, Raina said people had realised that “we were used”. “Our youth is impacted now and they want to move on. I want to end the distance between the two communities while advocating for the return of Kashmiri Pandits,” she told News18.
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