Tasaduq Mufti stayed away from politics before his father's death in 2015.
Tasaduq Mufti, the 45-year-old son of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and the younger brother of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, is the newest member of the Mufti family to enter the political space in Kashmir. The candidate of the People's Democratic Party or PDP for the parliamentary constituency of Anantnag -- where by-polls will be held in April -- is leading a low-profile campaign. The seat fell vacant last year after his sister Mehbooba Mufti, who represented it in Lok Sabha, resigned and took charge of the state as its Chief Minister.
A cinematographer-turned-politician who stayed away from politics before his father's death in 2015, Mr Mufti said he joined politics by choice and not by chance. "Winning and losing is not something I really think about. I don't think I am really affected much by it. It is the onward journey that I'm really focused on," Tasaduq Mufti told NDTV.
Mr Mufti has been fielded by the PDP at a critical time when the party wants to salvage its image that suffered a major beating during last year's unrest. His victory or defeat may also indicate the future course of the party.
Anantnag has been the bastion of the PDP and the party wants to keep the seat within the family. But the by-polls come at a time when there is lot of anger and resentment among the people after last year's unrest, which continued for five months following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani.
While his campaign focuses on issues local issues like cleanliness and pollution, Mr Mufti said he feels that the Kashmiri youth are not misguided. "There is a certain amount of confidence they have lost in the system. It is for us to restore that slowly and steadily," he added.
Young supporters are pinning their hopes on the debutant politician. "Youngsters are resorting to stone pelting because they are unemployed, we request him to give more emphasis to create employment for youngsters," said Jawalida, a student who took part in his rally in south Kashmir.
Mr Mufti is accompanied by his sister Mehbooba Mufti wherever he goes. But the Chief Minister says she does not give him any advice, "because my father did not give me any advice". The Mufti, she said, "allowed me to speak as I wanted to, so I haven't put any restrictions on my brother".