Jailed Engineer Rashid stirs up Baramulla fray, may dent Sajad Lone base, give Omar a leg-up

When jailed Kashmir leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid filed his nomination from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in North Kashmir Monday, he became the third leader from Kupwara district to join the fray there, after Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Fayaz Ahmad Mir.

The National Conference (NC)’s vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah is also contesting from Baramulla.

The support bases of Sajad, Fayaz and Rashid, who is popularly known as Engineer Rashid, are mainly centred on Kupwara district, where they would be vying from the same vote pie. This would give an edge to Omar not only on account of his appeal as an ex-CM but also due to the point that the NC has a cadre base spread across the Valley.

Besides Kupwara, the Baramulla constituency encompasses the Assembly segments of three other districts – Baramulla, Bandipora and Budgam.

Although Engineer Rashid, 58, is the founder of the Awami-e-Ittihad Party (AIP), he would fight the polls as an Independent as his party is not registered with the Election Commission.

A two-time MLA from Langate, Engineer Rashid has been a maverick leader, who has often landed in rows on account of his brand of politics that survived on his controversial or extreme political position.

Observers say Rashid may get “sympathy votes” as he will be contesting the election from the Tihar prison, where he has been lodged since 2019 following his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in an alleged money laundering case related to terror funding in the Valley. However, his

protracted absence from his constituency and lack of contact with his workers and supporters is likely to damage his vote bank.

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