Dr Ridwana is the daughter of former National Conference MLA Abdul Kabir Pathan who defeated Mehbooba's mother Gulshan Mufti in 1996 from Pahalgam assembly constituency.
Crisscrossing through the dusty roads bisecting the uncultivated paddy fields in South Kashmir, Dr Ridwana Sanam makes impromptu stopovers to meet pedestrians.
Wearing hijab (a headscarf) and donning a Kashmiri designer check pheran, the 35-year-old Gurgaon-based physiotherapist who owns a chain of physiotherapy and wellness centers, is challenging the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on her home turf in Anantnag.
Dr Ridwana is the second woman after Mehbooba who is in the election fray. Contesting as an independent, she is among the 18 candidates from the restive Lok Sabha constituency that goes to polls in three rounds from Tuesday.
"I am a self-motivated person. My second cousin brother was in Dehradun jail for 15 days post Pulwama attack and the political system could not help him to bring back. He was innocent. I realized it is now a matter of dignity. Youth needs a youth leader so that there is no generation gap. I thought I can be the inspiration for youth so that they will start contesting the assembly polls," Dr Ridwana told DNA.
Dr Ridwana is the daughter of former National Conference MLA Abdul Kabir Pathan who defeated Mehbooba's mother Gulshan Mufti in 1996 from Pahalgam assembly constituency.
"I am going to defeat her [Mehbooba]. My father had no money at that time and she had a lot of money. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was campaigning for her and still my father won by 16,000 votes. Courage is in my blood", she said amid peals of laughter.
Campaigning in the south Kashmir has been a tough job for politicians who have preferred secure enclosures to address rallies. For Dr Ridwana, interpersonal communication has been at the heart of the campaign.
From visiting people in villages to meeting a roadside shopkeeper, she is pulling out all the stops to reach out to the people though the victory against Mehbooba is a big ask.
Women are the prime focus of her campaign management. And that is why when she addressed a rally at Anantnag recently, a small group of women assembled to sing Wunwun (Kashmiri folklore sung by women in rows during marriages) praying for her success.
Selfies and random clicks follow wherever she goes on a campaign trail. Younger women and children join in and victory signs follow amid the clicks.
"Political space needs women who has soft coroner for the women. Women are not comfortable with male leaders. I believe I can fill that gap. As a doctor I have a duty to serve people. I want to replicate it in politics as well", she said.
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 "Ridwana Sanam")
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