Meet Daisy Raina, first Kashmiri Pandit woman to run for J-K polls in 3 decades, she is contesting from...

Daisy Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit woman, is set to contest in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, marking the first time in 30 years that a woman from the Kashmiri Pandit community is running for office. 

Raina, who is contesting on the Republican Party of India (Athawale) ticket, is standing for the Rajpora seat in Pulwama, an area once known for Hizbul Mujahideen activity. 

Raina returned to Kashmir in 2021 after working for a private company in New Delhi. According to Times Now, she said the peace that has prevailed since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 encouraged her to return and run for office.

In total, nine women candidates will contest in the first phase of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir, with five from the Kashmir division and four from Jammu. This election will be the first in the Union Territory after it was stripped of its special status in 2019 and the first in nearly a decade.

Voting for the Union Territory’s 90 Assembly seats will take place in three phases between September 18 and October 1. The votes will be counted on October 8.