by Sajid Raina
SRINAGAR: On May 20, on the day of voting for the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, contrary to popular mood on the ground, Abdul Gani, 68, of Sopore town was miffed at youngsters for defying conventional voting choice.
The major electoral exercise after the reading down of Article 370 has seen members within families differing on voting choices. Even though, the elderly have been exhorting younger generation to vote in favour of traditional parties but they have met with rejections.
“No one is listening to us,” said grumpy Gani. “It seems that young voters have embraced Engineer Rashid. It’s as if they’ve tasted the Tihar wine and have been enamoured by him.”
According to him, in previous elections, there were huge numbers of voters who abstained from polls in Kashmir. But this time, the trend was much different. Voters in the age group of 18 to 30 openly supported Engineer Rasheed and actively joined his rallies. “These factors clearly indicate that he will be the winner,” Gani predicted.
Dark Horse
Initially, a seemingly cliff-hanger contest between former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and People’s Conference President Sajad Lone, incarcerated Engineer Abdul Rashid, whose campaign was spearheaded by his son, emerged dark horse and won.
In the 2019 elections, the pre-redrawn segment polled 34.71 per cent. However, in 2024, there was a paradigm shift as the constituency recorded 59 percent. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Rashid stood third, with a little over 1,000 votes less than his PC rival Raja Aijaz Ali and around 31,000 votes behind the winner and NC leader Akbar Lone.
Engineer Rasheed who has won is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in a terror-funding case. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 on charges of terror-funding activities, becoming the first mainstream leader to be held under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A former two-time MLA who heads the Awami Ittehad Party, was one of 22 candidates in the fray from Baramulla. Engineer Rasheed won the Langate assembly segment in 2008 and 2014 and also contested the 2019 parliamentary elections but lost. However, this time the tide turned in his favour.
His two sons Abrar Rasheed and Asrar Rasheed, who led the election campaign for their father, expressed confidence that the massive crowds witnessed in the rallies would turn into votes for Rashid, leading to his release from prison.
Anti-incumbency
Tell me one thing that the members of Parliament of the National Conference did in the past. Show me the progress in North Kashmir that Mohammad Akbar Lone has brought during his MP tenure, asked Tabish Khan, a 22-year-old voter from Bandipora.
“We have decided this time we will vote in favour of an Engineer Rasheed. We will vote for ‘Pressure Cooker’ so we can put pressure on these parties that have done nothing for us. No matter what, he will do anything for us. But he must be free from jail,” he added.
The reporters visited most polling stations across the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency on the day of voting and found a ‘Pressure’ wave and pressure on other parties.
Campaigning for Jailed Father
Abrar Rashid, the son of the incarcerated engineer-politician, inadvertently stepped into the political arena when his father’s nomination papers were accepted. Despite his lack of political experience, he swiftly garnered substantial support and sympathy throughout the Baramulla constituency.
At certain polling stations, traditional voters aged 60 and above dismissed him as a mere “kid” in politics, expressing doubt that he would even be a significant factor in the elections.
“Yes, he’s just a kid. Politics goes far beyond social media. Elections aren’t won solely through social media presence. Those who rely solely on it think they can win, but that’s not the reality,” said Mohammad Ramzan, a 65-year-old resident of Hajin Sonawari Bandipora. “Even children are attending his rallies now. It’s not just voters; even non-voters are showing support,” added Ramzan, a lifelong supporter of the National Conference.
“Engineer is in jail. What can he achieve if he wins the elections? These young people should consider this,” he said.
An accidental help
In 2017, Rameez Ahmad Khan, a resident of Baramulla met Rashid at Sopore where he asked Khan about his studies. I was selected in IUST that time for a PG course but due to our weak financial situation I was not able to enrol myself. However, Er Rasheed came to my rescue.
“Listen; give me a written commitment that you will continue your studies there if I provide financial assistance. Take some time to think about it and give me your reply within five minutes. Starting from tomorrow, you will join your classes,” Engineer had told Khan.
“With his support, I managed to complete my postgraduate there, which is why I am inclined to vote for him exclusively today. Can you name any other politician who has done what he did for me? I don’t think so,” he said.
“Even when I visited Langate and went to his residence, Engineer Rashid was readily accessible to everyone. There was no hierarchy like with other leaders, where security personnel would screen visitors at the gate and then inquire if the boss was in a good mood to meet them or not. Such barriers simply didn’t exist there,” recalled Khan.
Pressure Presence
At a polling station in Gundpora, Bandipora, a People’s Conference agent, preferring not to disclose his name, mentioned that every voter arriving at the polling station on the Election Day was asking, “Where’s Pressure? I have to vote for him.”
“Most of the younger voters didn’t need any persuasion; they were already inclined to vote in favour of Rashid this time,” he added.
Outside the polling station, children who were not eligible to vote were chanting slogans in favour of Rashid. “Pressure, Pressure, Pressure!” This wave of support for Engineer Rashid ultimately contributed to his victory.
A young voter from Baramulla, Saleem, even before election said that all the pent up anger that’s there in the people especially youngsters in Baramulla, the best outlet they find for that is to vote for Engineer. He presents the best alternative.
“The old cadre of NC is intact in Baramulla but the addition of first time voters directly goes in the lap of Engineer Rashid. It’s these youngsters who don’t believe in the politics of NC,” he said.
According to him, Engineer Rashid symbolises the predicament of a common Kashmiri. “Voters here believe that nobody would coerce them at the ballots and they will go their hearts way.”
At Akbar’s Home Town
In the Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, which is the hometown of north Kashmir parliament member Mohammad Akbar Lone, the young voters have turned away from him and his party this time, opting instead to support the jailed engineer.
“I have never voted before, but let’s vote this time in favour of an Engineer. He is a true leader and will continue to be when freed from jail. No mainstream political party from Kashmir has even mentioned him, let alone seek his release. But now, people will decide by their votes that Engineer is a true leader,” said 24-year-old Sameer Ahmad to Kashmir Life in the Hajin area of Bandipora.
“He represents all Kashmiris who are in jails. He has been fighting for every issue faced by the people here in Kashmir. He stands with the people, not the other way around. These are the qualities that a great leader should have. That’s why we will vote in favour of him,” added Saleem Ahmad, a 33-year-old, during Abrar’s rally in Bandipora.
“It’s not often you see a campaign where people chip in their own money to offer drinking water bottles and food items for volunteers supporting Abrar. He travels from one Assembly segment to another, holding a dozen rallies a day, all streamed live on social media platforms,” said Sajad Ahmad, a 34-year-old from Sopore.
Women voters
At every polling station, many women who previously showed little interest in voting left their homes to cast their ballots for Engineer Rashid, fueled by the hope that he might be released if he wins.
Nasreena, a 34-year-old woman in Sangrama, stated that she voted for Engineer without any expectations. “I voted in favour of him so he might get released from jail,” she said.
When asked about other candidates, she remarked, “Omar came from Srinagar and contested here. He might think we’re fools, expecting us to vote for him. But why would we? No, we won’t.”
Samreena Akthar, another lady from Sangrama, revealed that her kids begged and forced her to vote in favour of Engineer, so she did. Otherwise, she stated, she never participated in polling.
On June 4th (Tuesday), as counting began, Engineer led from all segments. By the afternoon, when his lead exceeded one lakh, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Peoples Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone who were key opponents to Rashid graciously accepted their defeat while extending congratulations to Engineer.
“I think it’s time to accept the inevitable. Congratulations to Engineer Rashid for his victory in North Kashmir. 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,” Abdullah wrote on X.
“With all humility at my command I accept defeat. And it is time to congratulate Engineer Rashid,” Sajad Lone said in a post on ‘X’ “I wanted to make a difference. I thought we should be empowered economically , socially and politically to be able to make a difference and be counted. We had suffered a lot in the past 30 yrs and been robbed of all our dignity,” he said.
Rashid, who amassed a total of 472481 votes, defeated his nearest rival Omar Abdullah by a margin of 204142 votes. Similarly, Sajad Gani Lone who bagged a total of 173239, fell short of 299242 to the AIP patron.
Mir Fayaz of PDP on the other hand stood at a distant fourth position, witnessing a total of mere 27488 votes polled in his favour. Suraiya Nissar, Independent, one among the two female candidates contesting on the seat, bagged 21618 votes.
