Abdul Khaliq Bhat of Shiv Sena got just a few hundred votes from Srinagar parliamentary constituency where he stood against veteran Dr Farooq Abdullah, but it has not dampened his spirit.
Bhat is satisfied over his performance considering he foughtagainst the National Conference patron and political stalwart Abdullah.
“I didn’t spend huge money on canvassing. It was to makepeople believe that parties such as Shiv Sena could contest from places such asSrinagar. We go to people with sincerity,” says Bhat, as he sat under a treeduring the afternoon drizzle Thursday.
Bhat said a “shiv sainik” contesting from Srinagar againstthe likes of senior Abdullah “is in itself a victory for me”.
Hailing from Budgam’s Chadoora village, Bhat’s rendezvouswith politics started back in 1996 when his brother was killed by unknowngunmen.
“My brother Abdul Rashid was killed on May 13, 1996 bygunmen. This sort of disillusioned me. His killers were never arrested. I wasonly given hollow promises,” says Bhat.
In 2008, he contested state Assembly elections on a ticketfrom Bahujan Samaj Party.
Bhat says regional parties such as National Conference andPeoples Democratic Party are “fooling” Kashmiri masses by racking up issues ofArticle 370 and Article 35-A that grants exclusive rights to permanentresidents of Jammu and Kashmir.
“These are not even issues. I have been to Maharashtramyself. There is a huge Masjid there of which there is no match in Kashmir,”Bhat said.
“Regional parties are only playing politics and presentingother parties as demons here (in Kashmir).”