Who is Engineer Rashid, the jailed leader who beat Omar Abdullah in J&K's Baramulla?

Baramulla, one of Kashmir valley’s most important seats, has seen a major political upturn this Lok Sabha Elections.

Engineer Rashid an independent candidate and two-time MLA from Langate constituency defeated National Conference leader Omar Abdullah by a margin of 1 lakh votes.

Omar in a post on X, conceded his defeat even before official election results were announced, saying, “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."

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…

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 4, 2024

More from Explainers

What happened during Trump's call with Zelenskyy and European leaders? Trump-Putin summit: Why Russia sold Alaska to the US in 1867

But who is Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid and how did the jailed leader campaign? Let’s take a closer look


Who is Engineer Rashid?

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, began his political career in 2008 when he quit his job as a construction engineer with the J&K government and decided to contest assembly elections from the Handwara’s Langate constituency as an independent candidate.

The 57-year-old is a two-time former MLA. After he was re-elected in 2014, the leader again contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the Baramulla constituency but lost to NC’s Mohammad Akbar Lone by a margin of around 30 thousand votes.

In the same year, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) leader was arrested and charged by the National Investigation Agency under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for crafting secessionist activities in the valley and in an alleged money laundering case related to terror funding.

The case is still pending before the NIA court in Delhi.

But despite being behind Tihar Jail for almost five years now, Rashid was up for an intense election battle against political stalwarts such as former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullaha and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) chief Sajjad Gani Lone.

Notably, Baramulla is one of the three seats in Kashmir, other than Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri divisions, where the BJP  had not fielded any candidates in these Lok Sabha elections.

Impact Shorts

View All

'My god, what have we done': The 2 US pilots who dropped atomic bombs on Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki

US is making it tougher to obtain green card for married couples. Here’s why

How did Rashid win behind bars?

During Rashid’s absence, his sons Abrar, 23, and his brother Asrar, 21, have been spearheading the campaign in the valley.

“I’m no politician. I’m a student of M.Sc. My father always kept me away from politics, but now since he is in jail, I had no choice but to come out on the road for him,” Abrar said in The Print report.

From mobilising the crowds to arranging logistics, the duo said the youngsters from across districts came together to pool resources for their father’s rally as they “didn’t have any money”.

“We haven’t given these people any money, asked for fuel, vehicles, or posters. All these people have done it on their own. The people are leading this campaign,” Abrar said.

As per The Print, supporters of the leader contributed a part of their salary for fuel, printing of posters, and refreshments, drivers of taxis and tractors also offered their vehicles for their roadshows.

“Rashid sahib was alone in the Assembly but he raised the voice for Kashmir, for us, for our dignity. Whether he could do anything or not, he raised his voice for us. That’s why we are here today,” a 27-year-old who attended Rashid’s rally was quoted as saying in The Indian Express.


With inputs from agencies