Sheikh Abdul Rashid. Photo source: Facebook page of Awaami Ittehad Party
By G. Krishna Mohan Rao*
New Delhi: Will the release of Engineer Rashid from Tihar jail on bail help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir, where the first phase of elections will take place on September 18, 2024?
Political pundits speculate that the bail to Rashid may weaken the National Conference (NC) led by Farooq Abdullah and the People democratic party( PDP) led by Mehbooba Mufti.
Both Omar and Mehbooba Mufti have alleged that Rashid is being pushed by the BJP to split the vote and weaken them.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was a real sensation when despite being in jail, he defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference from the Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency as an independent candidate in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Rashid heads the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP). While he contested as an independent, he not only defeated Omar Abdullah but also Sajjad Lone of the People’s Conference from the Baramulla seat in the valley.
Rashid walked out of Tihar Jail yesterday after he was granted interim bail by a Delhi court to campaign in the J&K Assembly elections, even as his plea for regular bail was deferred to October 5, 2024. He has been in prison since 2019 in a terror funding case. The court granted interim bail to Rashid on several conditions, which included not speaking to the media about the case; speaking to the investigation officer on alternative days via video conference; and not tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.
His release to participate in the campaign seems to have rattled the regional political outfits in Kashmir, even as Rashid targeted both the BJP and the NC after coming out of prison.
Targeting Omar Abdullah, he said Omar was fighting for the chair, and claimed his fight was for his people and was “much bigger” than what Omar Abdullah was fighting for. “There is a difference between spending five years in London and spending this time in Tihar jail,” he said.
It remains to be seen how effective Rashid is going to be in the coming elections in J&K. Besides attacking the mainstream parties in the Valley, will he attack the government on the abrogation of Article 370 and removal of statehood to J&K? He is likely to begin his campaign from tomorrow.
Rashid already said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s narrative of a “Naya Kashmir” had “miserably failed”. He said he would go to the people to unite them and not divide them. He said he would fight for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue till his last breath.
The BJP’s strategy seems to ensure a split of votes among the five regional outfits which are in the fray if Rashid influences the voters.
The Congress Party, which is part of an alliance with NC and others, is so far silent on the release of Rashid, though party chief Mallikarjun Kharge was campaigning in Anantnag. However, Omar Abdullah made strong comments. “I feel sorry for the people of Baramulla. This bail is not to serve the people of north Kashmir but to get votes. After the polls, Engineer Rashid will be back in Tihar. My only appeal is not to allow the BJP’s designs to succeed. If people want a BJP government in J&K, then they should support AIP, PDP and Apni Party”.
During the last 10 days, the ground situation in J&K changed considerably. Both in the Valley and the Jammu region, cutting across party and religious lines all are with one voice demanding the immediate restoration of statehood and bicameral houses. Home Minister Amit Shah too has made it clear that statehood would be restored after the results.
As far as restoring article 370 ( special status for J&K) is concerned, it is almost forgotten and many parties almost decided to accept it as a fait accompli. However, some fringe groups do demand restoration of special status.
After a long gap of 10 years, J&K has finally geared up for the first phase of polling next Wednesday. A total of 24 constituencies—16 in the Valley and 8 in the Jammu region—would go to polls covering Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam, Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda districts. In the second phase, another 26 seats would be going to polls on September 25. They include Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Poonch, Reasi, and Rajouri. The final phase of voting is on October 1, and about 40 seats will be going to polls including Bandipora, Kupwara, Baramulla, Udhampur, Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. Out of a total of 90 seats, 74 seats are general, seven reserved for Scheduled Castes and nine for the Scheduled Tribe candidates.
*Senior journalist
