Election Results: Engineer Rashid, jailed under UAPA, defeats Omar Abdullah in Baramulla; former J-K CM sends wishes

Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, has defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by over one lakh votes in the Baramulla seat as counting continues for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Abdullah, the National Conference leader, conceded defeat even though the official results have yet to be announced. 

Rashid's win is a shocker since he contested the elections from Tihar jail, where he has been for the last five years facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

He contested the election as an independent candidate. Since he was in jail, his two sons led his campaign, which started just two weeks before the Baramulla constituency voted in the fifth polling phase on May 20.

As of 1.30 pm, Rashid was leading with about 2,57,523 votes, while Abdullah, the National Conference candidate, was trailing with about 1,37,377 votes. Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone, also a candidate from the seat, bagged about 96,000 votes. 

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Engineer Rashid, 57, is a former two-time MLA from Langate seat in north Kashmir. Before joining mainstream politics, he was a close aide of slain Hurriyat leader and JKPC founder Abdul Gani Lone, father of Sajad Lone. 

Baramulla is one of the three seats in the Kashmir division, other than Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had not fielded any candidates.