In the recent general election post Article 370 abrogation independent candidate Engineer Rashid emerged victorious, defeating Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.The election reflected public anger over the 2019 decisions in the region.
In the North Kashmir constituency of Baramulla, the initial contest was on the showdown between Abdullah and Peoples Conference (PC) leader Sajad Gani Lone. However, a twist occurred when the independent candidate and incarcerated leader Er Rasheed’s party filed a nomination on his behalf and subsequently initiated an emotionally charged campaign.
Engineer Rasheed, a former two-time MLA from the Langate Assembly constituency in Kupwara, has spent the last five years behind bars facing charges of terror funding under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Sheikh secured an impressive 472,481 votes, triumphing over his closest competitor Omar Abdullah by a margin of 204,142 votes. Abdullah got a total of 268,339 votes, while Sajjad Lone received 173,239 votes.
Many perceive Engineer Rashid’s victory, in the context of his prolonged incarceration, suggesting it is a win of politics of grievance that is becoming increasingly prominent.
Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid, who has defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, is the only political leader from Kashmir who remains incarcerated for over five years following the revocation of the semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Rashid has won by a margin of over two lakh votes from Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency.
The 57-year-old politician was imprisoned in 2019 after the National Investigation Agency charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Rashid, a former two-time MLA, contested as the Awami Ittehad Party’s (AIP) candidate. He founded the AIP in 2013. His sons, Abrar Rashid and Asrar Rashid, campaigned for him for just a week ahead of fifth phase of polling on May 20. During their campaign, they had urged people to avenge Rashid’s arrest with a vote, “jail ka badla vote se.”
Rashid had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Interestingly, Rashid’s rise in politics has been as spectacular and dramatic as his victory in this general election. Rashid resigned from his job as an engineer in the Public Works Department to contest the Assembly election from Kupwara’s Langate constituency in 2008.
According to him, it was the people of Langate who wanted him to represent them in the Assembly. Even at that point in time, he said, he was elected due to popular apathy towards the mainstream political parties.
Always dressed simply in a Khan suit even when he was an MLA, Rashid would be spotted travelling in public transport or even hitching a ride on a motorcycle. Rashid came to prominence after he organised protests against the ‘begaar’ system under which security forces would subject the residents in his constituency near the LoC with Pakistan into forced labour.
Earlier in 2005, he was arrested for three months on the allegations of supporting militants. He is said to have been a close associate of slain Hurriyat leader and founding president of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Conference, Abdul Gani Lone, father of Sajad Lone. Incidentally, Sajad Lone was also in the fray on the Baramulla seat.
In 2015, Rashid was thrashed by the BJP MLAs inside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for hosting a beef party in a government guest house. He had justified his act as a protest against cow-vigilantism and incidents of lynchings. Two weeks later, ink and mobil oil were thrown on him on the Press Club of India’s premises in New Delhi in reaction to his statement demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apology over mob violence in Dadri and Udhampur.
Rashid’s victory is a clear expression of the popular public sentiment against the revocation of the semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Unlike Sajad Lone, both Omar Abdullah and Engineer Rashid were opposed to the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 (A). At the microscopic level, Rashid got the sympathy vote because he remains in jail for his ideological position on what was unilaterally done to Kashmir on August 5, 2019. BJP wisely chose not to field its candidates on all three seats in Kashmir including Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla.
A street-fighter, Rashid is said to be the most unconventional MLA that the people in Valley have seen to date. He has been at the forefront of protests against human rights violations in Kashmir and has been beaten up by the security forces and detained on several occasions.
Engineer Rashid has not been allowed to talk to his family over phone since January this year, a family member said. Congratulating Rashid, Omar Abdullah posted on X: “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.” Engineer Rashid is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
In the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, Mian Altaf Ahmad emerged victorious with a huge mandate, securing 521,836 votes. Mehbooba Mufti, trailed far behind, with only 240,042 votes to her name, marking a substantial margin of defeat amounting to 281,794 votes. Following her, Apni Party’s Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas, who had the support of the BJP, secured 142,195 votes.
In the aftermath of their defeat, Abdullah has to confront the emerging political situation shaped by Engineer Rashid’s increasing influence, while Mehbooba Mufti has to recalibrate and devise new strategies for her political resurgence.
Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference, who had support from the Apni Party, secured the third position in Baramulla. Lone has been considering his party as a potential challenger to the National Conference. However, his setback in his constituency, where he frequently taunted Omar Abdullah as a “tourist,” will undoubtedly be a bitter pill to swallow. While Omar may have been labelled a tourist, Lone’s defeat in his hometown will be a significant blow. The Peoples Conference might rejoice over the defeat of Omar Abdullah, but the party would not erase the fact that the PC has come to third position in North Kashmir.
Aga Ruhullah and Waheed Para: Decent Opponents in the Game of Wins and Losses
Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, representing the National Conference, clinched the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat with an impressive 356,866 votes, maintaining a commanding margin of 188,416 votes over his opponent, Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para of the PDD, who secured 168,450 votes and settled for the second spot. However, both candidates upheld dignity in both victory and defeat, demonstrating the same level of respect they maintained throughout the lengthy campaign, refraining from engaging in personal attacks. Mehdi described his win against the verdict of August 5, 2019, the day Article 370 was abrogated, and J&K state was bifurcated into two Union Territories.
“A big thank you to the people of Srinagar, Pulwama, Gandarbal, Shopian and Budgam for this mandate and faith in me. I am humbled and I am aware of the responsibility that this mandate brings with it. You have spoken democratically and spoken against the decisions of Aug 5, 2019. From here on it is my responsibility to take your voice to the Parliament and to the people of the rest of India. Rest assured, I will represent your sentiments and struggle for the return of our Dignity and rights with complete sincerity,” Mehdi said.
PDP candidate Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra said that Kashmiris, after years of silence, have courageously expressed themselves through their votes for the first time, aiming to break the cycle of silence and reclaim their voice. He extended his congratulations to Ruhullah, Engineer Rashid, and Mian Altaf for their victories in the Srinagar, North Kashmir’s Baramulla, and South Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seats, respectively.
Ruhullah Mehdi thanked Waheed for his participation in the process of “making our voices heard democratically.” “It was a decent competition and I thank you for that. I wish you all the best for your future political endeavours.”
