Jailed Engineer Eyes Lok Sabha Seat: A Test of Democracy in Baramulla?
Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid, 56, was arrested in 2019 and charged by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), becoming the first mainstream politician to be booked under the stringent anti-terror law
Engineer Rashid, who is currently lodged in jail on UAPA charges, will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency on an Awami Ittehad Party ticket.
Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid, 56, is a former MLA. He was arrested in 2019 and charged by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), becoming the first mainstream politician to be booked under the stringent anti-terror law. He is currently lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar jail.
“The political affairs committee of the Awami Ittehad Party decided that we will field Engineer Rashid as our candidate from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency,” said party spokesperson Firdous Baba.
The party is hopeful that Rashid will be released from prison before the elections, he said. “In case that does not happen, it has been decided that Rashid will contest the polls from jail. Our Constitution allows an accused person, who is not convicted, to contest elections from jail,” Baba added.
Rashid was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly from Langate in 2008 and re-elected in 2014. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla, finishing in third place.
The Baramulla seat is currently represented by National Conference MP Mohammad Akbar Lone. Peoples Conference chairperson Sajjad Lone has already decided to contest polls from Baramulla Lok seat and has started his campaign.
Chairperson of the party’s political affairs committee Ishtiaq Mohi-ud-Din also said that Engineer Rasheed will contest the polls from Baramulla. “Our party has nominated its supremo Engineer Rasheed as party candidate from Baramulla. We won’t have any alliance with any political party and will contest on our own strength,” he said.
