News Politics National At a glance: 9 Muslim women candidates from Kashmir valley contesting J&K assembly polls

At a glance: 9 Muslim women candidates from Kashmir valley contesting J&K assembly polls

Out of all the candidates contesting  Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Polls for 46 seats of  Kashmir valley  , only nine are women. Some of these women are sitting MLAs, while most of them are new

6. Hina Bhat

Dr Hina Bhat is a veteran dentist in Jammu and Kashmir. She is also BJP candidate for the J&K Assembly polls from Amira Kadal Assembly constituency.

Apart from the fact that she is a new face in politics, Bhat has recently been in media limelight for making a controversial statement on Article 370 that goes against the traditional stand of the party on this sensitive issue.

Hina Bhat said that Article 370 was all about Kashmir's identity.

“If Article 370 is aborogated, then I will be the first one to pick up the gun” stated Bhat as she waved aside claims of it being BJP's main agenda.

Hina had , however, retracted this statement later on. She is also the Vice President of the BJP's women wing in the state.

Her father, Muhammad Shafi Bhat was a senior leader of National Conference.

In the 16th Lok Sabha elections, Hina found herself impressed by what Narendra Modi had to say. She was further impressed when she saw him in action. It was the time she considered joining the party.

Hina felt that since the time BJP formed the government at the centre, they had done what they had said. She concluded that they wanted to handle Kashmir issue with democratic means and above all “Kashmiryat”.

Hence she volunteered to contribute to the party and eventually got a ticket from her father's constituency.

Earlier Hina quit her job as a dental surgeon at the SKIMS medical college a few years ago to do social work. Now she has entered politics.