Former District Development Council (DDC) chairperson Safina Baig, wife of former deputy chief minister and MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig, is set to join the National Conference in Srinagar next week, said people in know of the matter.
“All formalities between the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women’s wing president and the NC high command have been finalised,” said a senior NC leader privy to the developments, saying the Baramulla district unit has already given its nod.
Safina recently attended a meeting of the NC in Baramulla in which her relative and sitting MLA Javeed Baig was also present. “She will be joining the NC soon,” confirmed Safina’s close aide who did not want to be named.
Local leadership believes Safina’s entry will boost the party across north Kashmir where her family holds sway. Safina won the 2020 DDC elections as an independent candidate before securing the chairperson seat with backing from the People’s Conference and the Apni Party. While she and Muzaffar Baig were briefly associated with Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference—and even supported his Lok Sabha campaign—they later distanced themselves from the party.
A lawyer, Safina’s tenure as DDC chairperson was marked by securing key developmental projects for north Kashmir. Her entry is expected to strengthen the ruling party in Baramulla and the neighbouring Sangrama and Wagoora constituencies, positioning her as the NC’s prominent woman face in the region.
While National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq did not respond to queries regarding her entry, sources indicate that three to four other top leaders from north Kashmir are also set to join the party over the next fortnight, though it remains unclear if Muzaffar Hussain Baig will follow his wife into the NC.
