SRINAGAR: The entry of jailed ex-MLA Sheikh Abdur Rashid alias Er Rashid, who is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail, into the poll fray has made the contest in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, which is going to polls in 5th phase on Monday, very interesting. It remains to be seen whether jailed leader can spring a surprise from the constituency, which has remained the bastion of J&K’s grand old party National Conference.
The poll campaign of jailed Er Rashid, the two-time ex-MLA has been booked under the UAPA charges and is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail since August 2019, was led by his 26-year old son Abrar Rashid in his absence.
His son travelled all the four districts of the Baramulla constituency – Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora (north Kashmir) and Budgam in central Kashmir – to campaign for his jailed father. He held road shows, corner meetings and his poll campaign drew large crowds.
“I was expecting my father’s release for a brief period for poll campaigning as was the case with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Although Kejriwal was granted relief but my father was not,” said Abrar adding this forced him to come on the front and launch a poll campaign for his father.
“I have no political experience and neither do any of my family members. The circumstances forced me to do poll campaigning for my father,” he said. He said it was very dull campaigning initially but later the momentum picked up and people including youth and old are participating in rallies.