Baramulla: As the Baramulla Parliamentary constituency is heading to polls in the fifth phase of the Indian general elections on May 20, the contest, widely seen between People's Conference’s Sajad Lone and National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, has taken an intriguing turn with the entry of jailed Kashmiri leader, Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid.
Abrar Rashid, Son of Rashid, Campaigning for his father. Photo by Basit Zargar
According to reports, AIP’s campaign rallies organized by Rashid’s son are receiving a huge response across parts of north and central Kashmir, with thousands of people attending and participating in Engineer Rashid’s party rallies for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.
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Social media platforms have been flooded with momentum rallying behind Rashid, with influencers both online and on the ground joining the movement.
Rashid was arrested in August 2019 by National Investigation Agency in an alleged terror funding case after the BJP-led Government of India abrogated Article 370 of the Indian constitution. Since then, Rashid has been in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
The Baramulla Parliamentary seat, covering over 18 assembly constituencies in four districts of Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, and Budgam, has over 17.32 lakh voters who will vote across 2,103 polling stations.