New Delhi: Jailed Kashmiri politician ‘Engineer’ Abdul Rashid Sheikh has sprung a major surprise as he looks set to defeat J&K National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, by a wide margin from Baramulla.
Rashid has been lodged in the Tihar Jail since 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). As of 3.40 pm, he had a lead of nearly 1.89 lakh votes over Abdullah, who is also a former Union minister.
The voter turnout in Kashmir touched historic levels in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, which is the first major polling exercise in J&K since the abolition of Article 370 and 35A and the erstwhile state’s recategorisation as a Union territory.
In districts like Baramulla, voters told ABP LIVE that they came out in large numbers to vote to show their “anger” and “dissent” against the August 2019 decision.
Many local voters said they are not only upset with the Centre, but also unhappy with regional parties like the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Rashid’s slogan of “jail ka badla vote se (avenging imprisonment with vote)”, meanwhile, seems to have struck a chord across north Kashmir.
Speaking to the local media, Rashid’s son Abrar, who led his campaign, said, “We fought for justice and I am pleased to see that the people of Kashmir have supported me and my father wholeheartedly. We did not have money power and muscle power yet we could achieve this due to the support of the people.”
On March 20, the jailed politician entered the race for Baramulla as a candidate for the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), under the ‘pressure cooker’ symbol. At the time, it looked like the former MLA would not be a serious contender as the party was seen to not have a support base. However, as the voting day neared, the tables turned as Rashid’s son spearheaded his campaign on the ground.
Baramulla, among the worst militancy-hit areas of Jammu & Kashmir, recorded a voter turnout of over 59 per cent, its highest since 1984. The BJP did not field any candidate from Kashmir for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Abdullah Concedes Defeat, PDP Faces Rout
As counting of votes was still underway, former CM Abdullah conceded defeat.
“I think it’s time to accept the inevitable. Congratulations to Engineer Rashid for his victory in North Kashmir. I don’t believe his victory will hasten his release from prison nor will the people of North Kashmir get the representation they have a right to but the voters have spoken and in a democracy that’s all that matters,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Ahead of the results, both the NC as well as the PDP had labelled Rashid a “proxy party” for the BJP.
Former CM Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, who was trailing behind the NC’s Mial Altaf Ahmad from the new Anantnag-Rajouri seat by nearly 2.8 lakh votes, said on X, “Respecting the verdict of the people I thank my PDP workers & leaders for their hard work & support despite all the odds. My deepest gratitude to the people who voted for me. Winning & losing is part of the game & won’t deter us from our path. Congratulations to Mian sahab for his victory.”
Despite protests and complaints made by Mufti and her party about the Centre’s alleged meddling and police harassment, the PDP’s waning influence in Kashmir was clear on the ground.
Many Kashmiris say it was due to Mufti and her party that the BJP was able to make inroads in the Valley, which culminated in them losing their special status and statehood.
The PDP and the BJP briefly ran the state government in alliance before their tie-up collapsed in 2018.
In Srinagar, the NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi was leading, with the PDP’s Waheed Ur-Rehman Para trailing by nearly 1.64 lakh votes.
The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha Constituency was initially set to go to polls on May 7 during the third phase. But the election was postponed, apparently due to the weather conditions and logistical issues. This key constituency that represents both Kashmir as well as Jammu was constituted after a delimitation exercise in 2022.