Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's brother Aijaz Ahmed Guroo, who is fighting the Jammu and Kashmir polls from Sopore on development and employment plank, said the challenges faced by the assembly segment mirror the broader problems of the Union Territory.
With a promise to uplift the area and create job opportunities for the youth, Guroo is determined to carve out a distinct political identity, separate from his brother's controversial legacy.
"The vision of my brother was different and mine is different," he said in an interview with PTI Videos while emphasising that his focus is on development rather than separatist ideologies.
Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar jail on February 9, 2013, for plotting the December 2001 attack on Parliament.
Aijaz Ahmed Guroo, an Independent candidate who did not complete his matriculation, expressed his commitment to upholding the Constitution and addressing the pressing concerns of Sopore. The region has suffered years of neglect, he said.
Once known for its flourishing apple orchards, Sopore gained notoriety in the early 1990s amid a rise in terrorism. Separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani was elected from the seat thrice, the last time being in 1987.
Traversing the lanes and bylanes of Sopore while campaigning for himself, Guroo highlights the dire state of the local economy.
"The youth of Sopore are unemployed and the cost of living has risen sharply over the past four to five years. The rich remain unaffected, while the poor sections have become poorer," he said.
Guroo vowed to tackle these issues and address the needs of the underprivileged while asserting that the challenges faced by Sopore mirror the broader problems across Jammu and Kashmir.
He alleged that the influence of the National Conference was responsible for the atmosphere of fear and violence in the area.
"My vision is focused on development and employment," he said.
While acknowledging that some progress has taken place in the region, Guroo claimed that bureaucrats have become more powerful and the poor are struggling.
Making a passionate appeal to voters to see him as a public representative who genuinely cares about their interests, he said, "People will vote if they believe that Aijaz will work for them. That decision is theirs to make." Voter turnout in Sopore has historically been low due to militancy with only the the 2008 assembly elections seeing only 19 per cent participation in the area. The voting percentage rose to 30 per cent in 2014.
However, the 2024 Lok Sabha polls witnessed significant voter participation with the turnout reaching 45 per cent, a marked improvement from the mere 4 per cent voting in the 2019 general elections.
Sopore will go to the polls in the third phase of the elections on October 1.
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