Creative Common
It is being called a big upset in North Kashmir, that too by an independent candidate Abdul Rashid, also known as ‘Engineer Rashid’. Rashid became a ‘giant killer’ by defeating Omar Abdullah by 2 lakh votes.
June 4 was a day that two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, would not want to remember. It was on this day that National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah lost from Baramulla constituency while People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti lost from Anantnag in the Lok Sabha elections. In what is being called a major upset in North Kashmir, an independent candidate Abdul Rashid, also known as ‘Engineer Rashid’, emerged as the ‘Giant Killer’ after defeating Omar Abdullah by 2 lakh votes.
What makes the debacle worse for Abdullah is that Rashid contested the election from Delhi’s high-security Tihar jail, where he is imprisoned under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Rashid was arrested after Article 370 was revoked from Jammu and Kashmir. Political observers say that Engineer Rashid’s victory is in many ways a victory for Indian democracy. He filed his nomination papers while in jail, and his family was unsure whether he would be allowed to contest the election. But since he is just an accused and not yet proven guilty, the Election Commission accepted his nomination. This is where his political journey began.
Without money, without organisational structure and without any election strategy, Rashid’s son Abrar Ahmed started his roadshow with the help of some friends. Within a few days, this unique campaign started attracting large crowds. The empathy factor started helping him connect with the public. His roadshows were attended by children, youth and even the elderly. Abrar Ahmed, who ran a historic campaign for his father, said that I started with 20 supporters, the intention was to meet people and make them understand our issue. When I saw a large number of people joining us, especially the youth who came even barefoot to be with us, I realised that we can win. This dream campaign, conceived without any money, big party or election strategy, can come true. Today is the day of people’s victory.
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