Stunning Upsets in Kashmir: Former CMs Defeated by Newcomers

In a surprising turn of events, former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were defeated in Kashmir's Lok Sabha elections by relatively unknown candidates, including Engineer Rashid. People's Conference president Sajad Lone also failed to secure a win. These results mark a significant shift in the political landscape of the region.

The Lok Sabha election results in Kashmir have taken an unexpected twist as former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti suffered defeats at the hands of lesser-known candidates.

Mehbooba Mufti lost to Gujjar leader and National Conference candidate Mian Altaf Ahmad by a considerable margin in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat. Similarly, Omar Abdullah was ousted by former MLA and terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, in the Baramulla constituency.

In another surprising outcome, People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone also fell short in the Baramulla seat. Engineer Rashid, a 56-year-old former MLA from the Langate assembly segment in Kupwara district, had been arrested in 2019 on charges by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). His son Abrar managed his campaign and expressed gratitude for the support, stating, 'Winning or losing doesn't matter much to us. What matters to me is the love we got from the people.'