Women joining politics in present day scenario is no news, but when it comes from the trouble-torn Kashmir Valley, especially Muslim women joining saffron party then it is indeed a news. The first women in question, Hina Bhat, a dentist and daughter of a former National Conference MLA and MP Mohammad Shafi Bhat, who left her job with SKIMS and worked for quite some time with people before joining politics, is the only Muslim woman to get ticket that too from BJP in JandK so far. The other woman, Drakshan Andrabi of Social Democratic Party (SDP) merged with BJP along with her supporters. She has been campaigning against corruption and mis-governance and had been with people at grass-root level. Both of them find that Narendra Modi-led Union Government has better vision for the country’s development including the Kashmir Valley. When BJP won majority in the recently concluded Parliamentary elections, women came out and danced with Modi posters, which shows the growing support of women for the party. The trend shows the strong winds of change taking place on the political canvass of Jammu and Kashmir. The social change taking place in the face of anti-India and anti-Modi feeling within the Valley is appreciable. This shows women have better power of connectivity and hold key for social change otherwise no single women would jump into poll fray where uncertainties are very high. The tacit praise for Modi was also seen in Peoples’ Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti’s public statements which gives an impression that her party is not averse to the growing popularity of saffron party. The change in trend and growing popularity shows some of the political outfits like National Conference, Congress and even the PDP having failed to connect with women in the process of providing good governance. Irony is that both Congress at the national level is headed by a woman and PDP also by a woman in the State and has family legacy with them. Whereas BJP has no such advantages yet the growing popularity among educated young women towards BJP shows that they want change in the governance system and not just seasonal promises of development which have reached nowhere at ground-level. The change is welcome.
