Engineer Rashid's party fails to make impact in J&K polls
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI)-backed independent candidates and the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), led by Engineer Abdul Rashid, couldn't make a mark in the Jammu and Kashmir elections. The AIP was leading in just one of the 35 seats it contested, while JeI-supported nominees were trailing in all 10 constituencies they contested. Notably, this was JeI's return to electoral politics after 37 years.
JeI-backed candidate's performance and AIP's expectations
Among the JeI-backed candidates, Sayyar Ahmad Reshi from Kulgam constituency was the only one who posed a significant challenge to his opponents. However, despite his efforts, Reshi trailed behind Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and four-time lawmaker MY Tarigami. Another notable candidate, Kalimullah Lone, son of former Jamaat general secretary Ghulam Qadir Lone, was lagging at fifth position in Langate.
AIP's performance and public sentiment in Kashmir
The AIP had high hopes for this election, after its success in the summer's Lok Sabha polls where Rashid defeated National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah. Only Rashid's brother Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, who contested the election as an Independent, won from the Langate constituency, defeating his nearest rival, Irfan Sultan Pandithpuri, of the People's Conference, by 1,602 votes. Langate was previously held for two consecutive terms by Rashid.
