For the fifth phase of electioneering in Kashmir, it was the size of rallies that mattered more than the content of speeches. All the three main candidates, National Conference’s (NC) Omar Abdullah, J&K Peoples Conference’s (PC) Sajad Lone and Awami Ittehad Party’s (AIP) Engineer Rashid, slogged it out with slogans and strength of supporters at venues across the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency.
All the three main contenders were seen competing for the size of the rallies and pitch of the slogans, which was rare in the past 30 years in the Kashmir Valley when separatists’ boycott politics and militant violence forced a subdued electioneering.
Mr. Lone put up a show of strength in Baramulla town on May 16 with all his might, with hundreds waving blue flags with party symbol apple on it. He was joined by ally J&K Apni Party Altaf Bukhari in a show of support. The party described the public show as a “massive” and momentous” rally.
“This rally is the biggest ever in the past four decades. The way people turned up to make this rally a grand success, they should also turn up at the polling booths on May 20,” Mr. Lone, who targeted rival Mr. Abdullah in his speech, said. His supporters filled the air with high pitch slogans of “Jeet Hamari, Inshallah “ [God willing, victory will be ours].
Posting videos with Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s famous revolutionary poem titled ‘Hum Dekhenge’, NC streamed Mr. Abdullah’s rallies live on social media from Budgam district on Saturday, with party’s garrison flags furling in hands of supporters. The slogans like “Be ready, army of Mr. Abdullah arrived” were raised. Mr. Abdullah, for a change, attended late-evening poll rallies in Pattan and Bandipora’s Sonawari on May 16, an apparent attempt to crowd out the buzz created by Mr. Lone in rallies. The rallies were marked with special lyrical songs sung in praise of Mr. Abdullah.
“Change in Sajad Lone’s stand on me is a clear admission of his defeat. He now talks about my defeat and not about victory,” Mr. Abdullah said, while praising men and women attending his rallies.
The credit for igniting a rally competition in the fifth phase of elections in Baramulla goes to jailed Engineer Rashid, whose two sons have captured streets of Baramulla, in just two weeks, with bike rallies and main market-side speeches dominating the poll reporting. Mr. Rashid was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 and remains in Tihar Jail. His short statements recorded from Tihar Jail too made it to rallies and social media platforms. All his rallies resonated with slogans of “Jail ka badla, vote say (Will revenge jailing Rashid, with vote.” Besides, the lyrical song, “PDP banogay, na bhai na; NC banogay, na bhai na; Engineer banogay, ha bhai ha (Will you become NC, no; a PDP, no; Engineer Rashid, yes”.
The only common thread of the speeches of Mr. Abdullah, Mr. Lone and Mr. Rashid’s sons was the promise to withdraw First Information Reports (FIRs) against youth languishing in jails after 2019 and ending “harsh police verification of relatives of separatists and militants. “
