J&K: Baggage of BJP past weighs down Mehbooba at home

KAPRAN: At a PDP stronghold in south Kashmir, a broken and bumpy road leads to former CM Mehbooba Mufti’s public rally in Kapran. The attendance is thin despite it being a Sunday: barely 300 people have turned up to listen to the former CM.
Located against the backdrop of lush green mountains, the venue has seen thousands gather for poll rallies in the past.This low attendance, party insiders say, “is a portent of a serious challenge for the party”.
But PDP officials are at pains to explain that the Kapran rally was not representative of Mehbooba’s popularity. However, the signs are palpable that the party, founded by her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 1999, is fighting a do-or-die battle. And the primary reason keeping supporters away is the anger against Mehbooba for allying with BJP.
“The party had come to power in the assembly elections by instilling fear among voters that RSS and BJP were trying to make inroads into Kashmir. But Mufti Mohammad Sayeed allied with BJP after J&K presented a fractured mandate… Within a year, the Modi government let down PDP at every step, starting from delayed flood relief,” says a Kapran party worker.
Kapran is part of the Anantnag LS seat, which was represented by Mehbooba till 2016, when she became CM after her father passed away. The seat remained vacant as a bypoll could not be held due to violence following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen’s Burhan Wani.
Mehbooba’s tenure as CM will be remembered for corruption, allegedly by her family members, and the crackdown against separatists with whom PDP had been advocating dialogue, say workers.
Mehbooba has been invoking her father’s legacy and her loss as a daughter, in her speeches. At one interaction, she broke down, seeking the forgiveness of voters.
“There is not even a proper road in our village. She brought no development to the area,” says a woman at the rally. “Voters have not forgotten that she got our kids blinded by pellets,” says a young man in Kapran.