Engineer Rashid causes Baramulla upset from jail, leads with 1.7 lakh margin

AMONG THE most closely-watched fights of this election was in Baramulla, where former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and People Conference President Sajad Lone – two leaders from mainstream political parties in the Valley – took on jailed separatist leader Engineer Rashid.

Now, as of counting till 2:30 on Tuesday, Rashid is leading the fight with a comfortable margin of 1,77,774 lakh votes. Abdullah has so far polled in 2,16,596 votes, while Lone has got 3,94,370 votes.

As the campaign for this high-profile contest drew to a close, it was visible that Rashid was closing the gap – not just the 800 km that separate Tihar Jail from Baramulla, but also the one between him and Abdullah and Lone.

With Rashid in jail, his sons Abrar, 23, and brother Asrar, 21, were leading the fight and addressing rallies that saw a high participation of the youth.

Rashid’s presence in the Baramulla seat race was projected as a symbol of defiance against the government, with his campaign slogans and energy carrying the intensity of separatist rallies of the past. At the same time, the fact that Engineer’s campaign has appealed to those disillusioned with the mainstream parties in the Valley, and have been a part of “boycott politics”, is a vote of confidence in the electoral system.

Abrar, while addressing a rally in Seelo, Sopore during the campaign had addressed this very point.

“Muje pata hai, aap boycott wale ho (I know you have supported boycotting elections in the past)… But promise me, this time you will not. This time, you will come out and vote… You will vote for the pressure cooker (the election symbol of Rashid),… I thought I was alone. I can’t get him (Rashid) out of jail… But now I know that the people of Kashmir are