I might be from the Mufti family but will have to earn my respect here'

It's 11 am on Saturday. Bijbehara, the family bastion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in southern Kashmir, is abuzz with loud songs and slogans blazing out of loudspeakers atop overcrowded load- carriers that follow a cavalcade of green fluttering vehicles. This is just another campaign day for ILTIJA MUFTI (pictured), a third-generation politician of the Mufti family contesting her maiden election. She is stepping into the shoes of her grandfather and PDP founder, Mufti Mohammad Syed, and mother, Mehbooba Mufti, both of whom started their political careers from the home seat of Srigufwara-Bijbehara. Following a door-to-door campaign, she speaks with Kaleem Geelani. Edited excerpts:

Kashmir has a long history of hostility with the electoral process. What has changed, especially against the backdrop of Article 370 abrogation? There is more of a disillusionment now because the question the people ask is "so much was taken from us and what the mainstream could do". This has put us in a credibility crisis.

But people now understand that their vote is going to be important; it's only politicians and parties who are going to solve their problems. They saw only the officialdom and faced red tape in the past five years. Of course that's a source of worry for them because at the end of the day, the stakes and accountability your local representative has are far more than an officer of the Indian Administrative Service does.