Two high-profile constituencies, two former chief ministers, and two dramatic scripts that dashed the hopes of Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir that witnessed a historic turnout.
June 4 was a day that two former Chief Ministers of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti would like to forget in a hurry. While Omar Abdullah, the National Conference (NC) Vice President, lost from the Baramullah constituency, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti lost from Anantnag in the Lok Sabha elections.
In what is being termed as a big upset in North Kashmir, independent candidate Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as ‘Engineer Rashid’, turned into a ‘giant killer’ by trouncing Omar Abdullah by a whopping 2 lakh votes.
What makes the debacle worse for Abdullah is that Rashid fought the election from Delhi’s high security Tihar jail, where he is incarcerated under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Rashid was arrested after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Political observers say Engineer Rashid’s victory in many ways is the victory of Indian democracy. He filed his nomination papers while in jail, and his family was uncertain about whether he would be allowed to contest. But since he is only an accused and not proven guilty yet, the Election Commission accepted his nomination. From there started his fairytale electoral journey.
With no money, no organisational structure, and no election strategy, Rashid’s son Abrar Ahmed started his road shows with the help of some friends. Within days, this unique campaign started attracting large crowds, the sympathy factor seemed to help him connect with the masses. From kids to youth, and even the elderly joined his road shows.
“I started with 20 supporters, the intent was to meet people and make them understand our cause. When I saw people joining us in big numbers, especially the youth who even came barefoot to be with us, I realised we could win. This dream campaign that was visualised without any money, big party or election strategy, can come true. Today is the day of people’s victory,” says an overjoyed Abrar Ahmed, who ran a historic campaign for his father in a matter of two weeks, taking North Kashmir by storm.
According to political observers, this is a rare case of an organic campaign for a jailed leader, where the masses lent their support in the hope that a victory for Rashid would get him out of jail. The sympathy wave for Engineer Rashid drowned the campaigns of heavyweights like Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Gani Lone of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference.
Abrar Ahmed’s campaign for his jailed father is also a case study of how to overcome big money, proper election strategy, robust social media teams, and past electoral experience of two big rivals. What also worked for Engineer Rashid was the ability of his campaign to wake up the boycott bastion that till date had been influenced by the separatist ideology of boycotting the democratic process. This segment of voters too came out in support of Rashid, as they felt that he was being punished for his “unwavering commitment to uphold the dignity of the people”.
Post Article 370 abrogation, while every political party in Kashmir that claimed to be fighting for its restoration seemed to have surrendered and moved on, Engineer Rashid was seen as a Lone Ranger who was being punished for not compromising on his principles.
While this dramatic script was unfolding in North Kashmir, South and Central Kashmir witnessed the conventional electoral battle between two old rivals, the NC and the PDP. The PDP had a lot more at stake as far as the Anantnag parliamentary segment was concerned, not just because its party chief Mehbooba Mufti was in the fray, but also due to delimitation of the constituency. It was no more the erstwhile South Kashmir seat, considered a PDP bastion. It had been redrawn, with Poonch and Rajouri merged with Anantnag. So the equations had changed, and the NC strategy to field a strong Gujjar leader, Mian Altaf Ahmed, who also enjoyed a spiritual connect with the community, was a masterstroke.
The Gujjar vote consolidated for the National Conference, as Poonch and Rajouri have a sizeable Gujjar vote bank. This, along with a low voter turnout in the traditional pro-PDP zones of Anantnag and Kulgam, ensured Mehbooba Mufti had very little elbow room to re-strategise or turn the tide. Indeed, her loss in Anantnag is being seen as another body blow to the party, which is a pale shadow of its erstwhile self.
“I thank the people for their overwhelming support. It’s a people’s victory. I will try my best to work for the people. Mehbooba ji is like my sister, but in elections win and loss are destined,” said Mian Altaf after his victory from the Anantnag seat.
For Kashmir, this general election was historic in many ways – as there was an all-time high voter turnout, with a majority of first-time voters casting their ballot for change. People reposed their faith in democracy, while expressing the hope that Jammu and Kashmir would see Assembly elections soon. Source
