 "Who is Iltija Mufti, Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter who lost in J&K? What does this mean for PDP?")
Iltija Mufti, the daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, has conceded defeat in the Srigufwara-Bijbehara seat in the Jammu and Kashmir polls.
Iltija, 37, made her political debut in 2023. This was the first election she contested.
The National Conference-Congress alliance leading in 52 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 25 seats, according to the latest data from the Election Commission.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by her mother Mehbooba is winning in just three seats.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has 90 seats and the magic mark to win control of the state is 45 seats.
Iltija, who was trailing by more than 3,800 votes after seven rounds of counting, on Tuesday thanked party workers.
She added that she accepts “the verdict of the people”.
But what do we know about Iltija? And what does this verdict mean for Jammu and Kashmir?
Let’s take a closer look:
Who is she?
As per The Print, Iltija was born in Delhi.
Iltija was fond of books as a child.
“I had dyslexia as a child and found my refuge in books. If only I had a penny for the number of times that I got smacked for inverting the C alphabet in my cursive-writing books! As someone with learning disabilities, I felt like reading offered a whole new world of unconventional knowledge, interesting characters, and different perspectives,” she told the outlet.
She also had little interest in the political sphere.
“When I was a kid, I had no interest in politics,” Iltija told Scroll. “But at age 10 or 11, I started understanding what was happening. My grandfather would live and breathe politics.”
A number of noteworthy visitors just kept showing up at their door.
“We had a lot of people coming in – Lalu Prasad, Sharad Yadav, [Ram Vilas] Paswan ji,” she added. “I have a distinct memory of Lalu Prasad coming with a spittoon for his paan.”
Iltija attended school in the National Capital and Shimla.
Iltija went to Delhi University’s Sri Venkateswara College for her undergraduate degree where she studied political science.
She then went to the UK and studied international relations at Warwick University.
As per the outlet, Iltija then worked at Dubai’s Gulf News as well as a research assistant at a think-tank in Delhi.
Iltija in December 2015 moved back to Kashmir.
At the time, her grandfather chief minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government.
Iltija was told to help organise notes and keep track of meetings.
After his passing, Mehbooba took over and Iltija left Kashmir.
In August 2019, the Centre revoked special status for Jammu and Kashmir and divided the erstwhile state into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
In May 2020, Iltija expressed anger at the decision.
“I don’t identify with this country anymore. I feel angry and let down by what the government is doing. And how are people celebrating our pain?” she told Scroll.
Iltija soon took over her mother’s social media accounts.
By then Mehbooba and a slew of other leaders in Jammu and Kashmir were under house arrest and Kashmir was on a communications lockdown.
“I want to just give the people hope. Our voice is the biggest weapon we have and I want to embolden the voice of the Kashmiris,” Iltija told Scroll.
“In a place where we barely have the freedom to leave our homes, the only way to stay connected is social media… My nani (maternal grandmother) also stays on the phone all day— that’s where I got the idea from (to reach out to Kashmiris online).”
In November 2021, Iltija took part in a PDP protest outside the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar, as per Indian Express.
Despite this, she insisted she had no designs of following in her mother’s footsteps.
In September 2022, Iltija said she did not want to join politics under the prevailing “terrified atmosphere” in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In the current atmosphere where politicians have become journalists and the latter stenographers, I do not want to do politics. Politics is about building your relationship with the public. Certain situations come in your life (which guide you),” Iltija Mufti had said at a conclave in Jammu.
She had said that being the granddaughter of the late PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed she had seen politics from close quarters since her birth. “For other people, it might be attractive…I have no attraction for it.”
However, she had not completely ruled it out, saying nobody knows the future.
“The GOI (government of India) wants to incubate a new line and ecosystem of local politicians who will not remind the masses about Article 370 etc,” Iltija told Indian Express in November 2022.
“Everything in Kashmir seems to be in a deep freeze. Not just politics, our lives seem to be in suspended animation, along with all else, since 2019,” Iltija added.
In 2023, Iltija was appointed media advisor to Mehbooba.
“It is an honour for me to help in whatever way possible at a time when the people of J&K find themselves thrown in utter chaos, despair and darkness. I hope I can make a difference,” Iltija told PTI in the aftermath of her appointment.
Referring to her statements after the detention of her mother under the Public Safety Act (PSA) following the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories in August 2019, she had said, “I came forward and started talking because of a vacuum, otherwise I would not have as I have no attraction for both politics and camera.”
Illtija, speaking before the Assembly polls, had commented on the similarities between herself and her mother.
“I did not only inherit my mother’s looks but her stubbornness as well. I am strategic, she is emotional. This is my personality and I hope people discover this as time passes,” India Today quoted her as saying on Aaj Tak ‘Panchayat.’
“I want people to know me for who I am, for my own identity, my personality. I just don’t want to be known as Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter or Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s granddaughter. (We should) Listen to everyone, but do what you want. At the end of the day, one should do what one believes in,” Iltija added.
Iltija in the campaign had repeatedly pointed to the PDP “fighting for the rights of the people of J&K,” as per Indian Express.
What does this verdict mean for Jammu and Kashmir?
The entire PDP led by Mehbooba has a come a cropper.
The party, remember, had won 28 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls.
What adds salt to the wounds of the PDP is that Iltija had contested from the seat held by her mother Mehbooba and her grandfather Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. As per Indian Express, Mehbooba had vowed not to contest the polls as long as Jammu and Kashmir remains a Union Territory.
Mehbooba has congratulated the National Conference leadership on its victory and said her party would play the role of a constructive opposition.
“I congratulate the NC leadership for its spectacular win. I also want to congratulate the people of J-K for voting for a stable government and not a hung assembly because the people faced several problems especially after August 5, 2019. A stable and strong government is very important for the redressal of those problems,” Mufti told reporters.
“It seemed that if there was not a clear mandate, then there would be some misadventure,” she said.
The PDP chief said the Centre should take a lesson from the verdict and “not meddle” in the government’s affairs.
“If they do that, it will be disastrous and worse than what has happened to them now,” she said.
Mehbooba further said, “They (people) thought the NC-Congress alliance will provide a stable government and fight the BJP and keep it away. I think that is the biggest reason (for the victory of the NC-Congress alliance).”
The PDP’s rival the National Conference – which has tied up with the Congress – has announced that Omar Abdullah will be chief minister of the Union Territory.
Omar’s father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah made the announcement on Tuesday.
“Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister,” the senior Abdullah told reporters when asked who would be the alliance’s CM face.
The NC president also said the verdict was a proof that the people of J-K were against the abrogation of Article 370.
“The people have given their verdict and proven that the decisions taken on August 5, 2019 are not acceptable to them,” he said. “I am thankful to everyone that the people participated in the polls and did so freely. I am grateful to God for the results.”
The former Union minister said the elected government would have do a lot of work to end the “sufferings” of the people.
“We have to end unemployment and address issues like inflation and drug menace. Now, there will be no LG and his advisors. Now, there will be 90 MLAs who will work for people,” he added.
The counting of votes began at 8 am at 28 counting centres for the 90 seats of Jammu and Kashmir assembly which went to polls in three phases.
With inputs from agencies
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