Monday, May 20, saw a shift in the balance of power in North Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency, one of the 49 seats going to polls in the fifth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Congress (JKPC) Chairman Sajjad Lone were the main candidates, but Abdul, popularly known as Engineer Rasheed,・Until Rashid Sheikh joined the race.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Fayaz Ahmad Mir is also contesting from Baramulla seat.
Also read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 5: Complete list of 49 constituencies.Click here for main candidates
Rashid, who filed his candidacy from Baramulla constituency on April 29, is running from prison. Rashid is stirring up elections even though he has been in Tihar jail for five years on UAPA charges.
Son leads the campaign
In August 2019, soon after the abrogation of Article 370, Rashid was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror financing case. Rashid’s 26-year-old son, Abrar Rashid, is leading the campaign, drawing large crowds as he travels to vote for his jailed father.
Backed by former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party, posters of engineer Rashid in prison have become a common sight during election campaigns.
“When I go to people, I tell them that my father has been in prison for the past five years. I tell them, his election as a member of parliament will pave the way for his release. Vote for it,” Abrar was quoted as saying.
Also read: Kashmir News: Bharatiya Janata Party will contest all 90 seats in J&K, Amit Shah says in Srinagar
Baramulla is one of the three seats in Kashmir, apart from Srinagar and Anantnag Rajouri, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BMW) has not fielded a candidate. It comprises assembly segments of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Budam districts. Srinagar will vote in the fourth phase of polls on May 13, while Anantnag-Rajouri will head to the sixth phase of polls on May 20.
Who is Engineer Rashid?
Rashid, 57, an engineer, is a former two-time MLA from Rangate state in north Kashmir. Before joining mainstream politics, he was a close aide of Abdul Ghani Lone, father of slain Hurriyat leader and JKPC founder Sajjad Lone.
On May 21, 2002, unidentified gunmen assassinated Abdul Ghani Lone at Eidgah in Srinagar. Rashid quit his government job as an engineer and in 2008 he left JKPC and successfully contested assembly elections as an independent candidate from Langate in Kupwara district.
Rashid founded Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) in 2014. Since the party is not registered with the Election Commission of India, it is contesting the assembly polls as an independent candidate.
I made a reservation through UAPA.
Rashid, the leader of the Firebrands, has been embroiled in many controversies. For example, in 2015, Rashid was beaten up by BJP MPs inside the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state assembly after hosting a beef party at an MLA hostel in Srinagar.
In October 2015, Rashid was attacked with ink at the Indian Press Club in the capital. In the same year, he hoisted the J&K flag at Srinagar’s Pratap Park to protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan Aur Ek Nishan’ slogan.
Also read: Fourth phase of voting today: First Lok Sabha election after abrogation of Article 370, Bharatiya Janata Party is not in the fray in 3 seats in Kashmir
“Mainstream media has made him a separatist disguised as an MLA, but in Kashmir, separatists are attacking me for believing in the Indian Constitution,” Rashid said in a 2015 interview. Ta.
Finished in 3rd place in 2019
Rashid also contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla seat. He finished third, receiving over 100,000 votes, ahead of the PDP and Congress candidates. Rashid then received support from bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal’s Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement (JKPM). Mr. Faessel has since returned to the civil service.
North Carolina leader Mohammad Akbar Lone won the seat.
He was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and has been in Tihar Jail since 2019. On March 16, 2022, the NIA indicted Rashid on charges of inciting discontent against the Indian government and army. He also faced accusations of receiving funds from Pakistan. He has not yet been convicted in any case.
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