Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by jailed Engineer Rashid had made its strong presence felt in North Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections. After gaining a huge support base, AIP is now ready to make its strong presence felt in South Kashmir.
The party has fielded mostly young candidates in the region and is actively campaigning to attract voters. In comparison, traditional parties seem to be confined to their strongholds.
Engineer Rashid’s son took over the command
Engineer Rashid’s son Abrar Rashid, who campaigned for Engineer Rashid in the parliamentary elections, is leading the election campaign of AIP (Awami Ittehad Party) in South Kashmir. Abrar Rashid told Aaj Tak that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are fed up with political parties and want change in these assembly elections. He said, ‘The people of North Kashmir have shown their strength and the power of their vote during the parliamentary elections, now this will be repeated in South Kashmir as well.’
The party has started campaigning in South Kashmir and the candidates contesting the elections are hopeful that Engineer Rashid’s party will definitely win the elections. Rashid’s supporters, who have been in jail for years, are hopeful that he will get bail during the elections so that he can campaign.
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The decision on bail will come after 2 days
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, was arrested in 2017 in a terror funding case. Despite this, he won a landslide victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Baramulla seat by defeating former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
Delhi’s Patiala House Court has reserved its order on Engineer Rashid’s bail plea after a detailed hearing in a closed room. The court is expected to pronounce its verdict on September 4.
The party fielded young candidates
Dr Suhail Ahmad Bhat (35), a PhD in education from Rajasthan University and a trained veterinary pharmacist, is making his political debut on an AIP ticket in the Devsar constituency. He said the AIP has now captured the hearts of the people and on September 18 those hearts will blossom as the party, led by its supremo Ar Rashid, will achieve success.
He said, “The politicians who sold our education – we will sell their politics. The anger and pain that has built up over decades in which we have been cheated in every aspect of life will now be confronted. We will try to solve development and other issues that have remained unfinished for decades.”
Speaking to Aaj Tak, he said, “We hope that people of South Kashmir will give us the same love that we got in North Kashmir in the recent elections. Today is our first day of campaigning in Rajpora constituency of Pulwama. People will vote for us to give a message to those regional parties who have betrayed us.”
Also read: Engineer Rashid gets 2 hours parole for oath taking, court laid these conditions
All the candidates are busy campaigning
Mohammad Arif Dar, one of the youngest leaders of AIP, filed his nomination in DH Pora, Kulgam. 31-year-old Aqib Damhal is contesting from Hanjipora. He said, “Our leaders were welcomed with garlands of flowers, but they have put the people of Jammu and Kashmir on thorns. The pain of Jammu and Kashmir is in front of you.”
Aqib Mushtaq, 33, who is contesting from Anantnag West, Kashmir’s biggest assembly constituency, has begun door-to-door campaigning. “We are getting a good response at the grassroots level,” he said. AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi spoke of an “Engineer Rashid wave” sweeping across south Kashmir. “It is clear that the wave of support we are seeing for Engineer Rashid is a clear evidence of real change,” he said.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)