Iltija Mufti, daughter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti and party candidate from Bijbehara constituency, after filing her nomination for J&K Assembly elections, in Anantnag district.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Tuesday conceded defeat after trailing against National Conference (NC) candidate Bashir Ahmad Veeri.
As the vote count continues Iltija posted on X: “I accept the verdict of the people. The love & affection I received from everyone in Bijbehara will always stay with me. Gratitude to my PDP workers who worked so hard throughout this campaign.”
Iltija was contesting in one of the most high-profile constituencies in south Kashmir, Srigufwara-Bijbehara which is considered as a stronghold of the PDP.
Mehbooba had also made her election debut from this seat in 1996, which witnessed intense campaigning before the polls.
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Iltija gained prominence in 2019 when her mother along with dozens of other high profile politicians in Kashmir was detained following the abrogation of Article 370. She took on the role of her mother's media adviser and campaigned for her in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat earlier this year.
At 37, Iltija's bid was seen as a significant test of the Mufti family's influence, as the PDP had held the seat for 28 years.
Her mother, Mehbooba, first won the seat in 1996 on a Congress ticket before joining the PDP in 1999, a party founded by her late father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who also won the seat in 1967.
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