As the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections approaches near, a young independent candidate is busy with his poll campaign in the labyrinthine alleys of Jammu & Kashmir's remotest region in Kargil and Ladakh constituency. People in the region are upbeat to have a young independent candidate in the fray. Meet 35-year-old Sajjad Hussain Kargili, who has become a new face of people's aspirations for development in the region.
A former student of Jamia Millia Islamia, Hussain's candidature is being supported by all major regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC).
Hussain has no political family legacy and his total asset, as revealed to Election Commission (EC), is meager `50000. He stated that he doesn't have adequate funds to fight an election. Some of his friends and supporters have pooled money for contesting the electoral fight.
Recalling his political journey, Hussain tells The Pioneer that he was involved in pro-people activism from his student days in Delhi.
"I was always very interested in politics since my student days, not because I wanted to see myself in Parliament or the Assembly but I believe strongly in justice, and the need to fight for it. As a student of Jamia Millia Islamia from 2007 to 2011, I consistently kept myself involved in democratic politics. This was only because I was affected by the injustice and exploitation around me," he said.
He further states, "I am fighting for the development of the most backward and rugged region in India which remains cut off from the mainland doring winters. The life of Ladakhis is very difficult. There is no proper hospital, medical college, women's college, roads or electricity. Ladakhis need to be having equal share in developmental projects. And, this is all I'm fighting for."
For the past ten years Sajjad Hussain has been active in engaging with people in his home district Kargil. While working as a journalist with Iran's Sehar Urdu TV and Editor of Greater Ladakh, he took active interest in local issues and politics. However what brought him to the limelight recently was his successfully leading an agitation on equal share in divisional status and Cluster University for Kargil. Hussain was a prominent figure in the week-long protests demanding equal share for Kargil. The demand was eventually accepted by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satyapal Malik.
As an Independent candidate he is up against BJP's Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Congress's Rigzin Spalbar, and former Congress MLA from the region, Haji Asghar Ali Karbalai.