Iltija Mufti, 37, is contesting her first election from Srigufwara Bijbehara, Jammu and Kashmir.
She holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, and was the spokesperson for her mother Mehbooba Mufti when the former J&K chief minister was detained after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Iltija's mother and grandfather Mufti Mohammad Sayeed also won their first election from Bijbehara.
"I am entering politics now because there is a need for me to step up. The party is at its lowest. There was a mass exodus at the behest of the BJP. I am under immense pressure because there are expectations that I have to live up to."
"They are writing the party's obituary," she says in a phone interview while campaigning in her constituency which votes on September 18.
"But I am proud of the fact that whatever respect I earn will be on my own merit. No one can accuse me of having it served on a platter."
"The most powerful thing that I can offer is my voice," Iltija Mufti tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih.