Long queues outside polling booths in J&K; 58.19% voting recorded by 5 pm
Except for a brief suspension of polling in Kishtwar due to a quarrel between supporters of two candidates, the process remained largely peaceful.
Bailed-out terror-funding accused MP Engineer Rashid’s brother Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh filed his nomination papers for north Kashmir’s Langate assembly seat on Wednesday.
Khurshid has been fielded by the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) from the Langate seat, which was earlier represented by his brother Engineer Rashid for two terms in 2008 and 2014.
A large number of people accompanied him to the returning officer to file his papers.
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A government teacher, Khurshid quit his job in June after Engineer Rashid recently defeated former chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone on the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat. His resignation was accepted a few days ago to enable him to contest the assembly election.
Meanwhile, Engineer Rashid stepped out of the Tihar Jail this afternoon after the NIA court granted him interim bail till 2 October – a day after all three phases of the assembly election were over.
NC leader Omar Abdullah criticised the BJP government for its “double standards”. While a sitting chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail application was opposed by the investigating agency, they allowed the bail to happen for Engineer Rashid, Omar said.
He said Engineer Rashid is being used by the BJP to split the votes in Kashmir and asked the electorate to be aware of the tactics. People voted for Rashid in the Lok Sabha polls and their vote has gone to waste as he has to again return to the Tihar Jail on 2 October and as such was not in a position to speak for the people of Baramulla in the Parliament.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has also questioned the timing of bail to Engineer Rashid.
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