Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election Result 2024: In a closely-contested fight, BJP candidate Shagun Parihar registered a win from the Kishtwar seat defeating National Conference's Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo by 521 votes. While Parihar polled 29,053 votes, Kichloo got 28,532, the Election Commission website showed.
Shagun Parihar holds an MTech in electrical power systems and is preparing for the J&K Public Service Commission examination. It needs to be seen how her triumph over the two-time NC MLA Kichloo will change her academic dreams and opath ahead.
However, what makes the young BJP candidate stand apart is something else. Hailing from a family of BJP supporters, Shagun Parihar's victory is of emotional importance to the saffron camp. Her father Ajeet Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were gunned down by terrorits in 2018 while campaigning for the party ahead of the local body polls. Anil Parihar remained an active BJP cadre in Kishtwar for decades, even when militancy was at its peak in the region in the 1990s. He was among the active workers on the ground when the party rested Kishtwar from the National Conference for the first time in 2014. He remained active until his killing by the terrorits on November 1, 2018, the Times Of India (TOI) said in a report.
While campaigning in the Union Territory in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reportedly called Shagun Parihar "the living example of the BJP's resolve to finish off terrorism."
According to reports, fielding Parihar against the mighty Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo was a strategic move by the BJP. Anil Parihar enjoyed good rapport with the Muslim community of the constituency and fielding the niece of the late leader helped the party to win the backing of the Muslim population along with the minority Hindus. She campaigned for peace, prosperity and security of Kishtwar, reports said, adding that she requested to elect her for every family that has suffered losses due to terrorism. Coming from a person bearing the scars of terrorism, the people decided to back her, as the BJP expected.
Under Ravinder Raina, the BJP recorded its best-ever performance in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, winning 29 seats. The National Conference-Congress alliance won 52 seats in the 90-member Assembly. The J&K Assembly elections were held after 10 years and for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state.