Pitted against Omar Abdullah, Sajad Lone makes his presence felt

“Like we have broken records of attendance at a political rally today, we will break voting records on May 20,” he Lone said. He also said that through the rally, “we have shown our strength before May 20”.

The rally in North Kashmir’s Baramulla on Thursday. (Express File Photo)

Holding a massive rally in North Kashmir’s Baramulla Thursday, J&K People’s Conference president Sajad Lone said June 4 – the day Lok Sabha election results are announced – would “usher in a new era of politics” in J&K.

“Like we have broken records of attendance at a political rally today, we will break voting records on May 20,” he Lone said. He also said that through the rally, “we have shown our strength before May 20”.

Roads leading up to the venue were gridlocked as people from the neighbouring areas of Kupwara, Handwara, Sopore, and Uri among others, poured into the venue.

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Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency goes to the polls on May 20. Lone is the People’s Conference candidate from the seat, and will be pitted against former J&K chief minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah and Awami Ittehad Party chairman Abdul Rashid Sheikh (Engineer Rashid), who remains incarcerated at Tihar jail in New Delhi since August 2019 on terror funding charges.

Addressing the rally, Lone said he was part of the 90 per cent of J&K’s population that has faced “jail and torture”. “I have worked hard and struggled, and reached this stage in life because of you. I have been to jail, witnessed torture and then reached here because of you,” he told the crowd.

One of the key issues for him, he said, is the end of “FIR and verification culture” in Kashmir. “I envisage a life of peace for the young people of Kashmir. The government is not letting this happen and they should.”

Lone shared the stage with J&K Apni Party president Mohammad Altaf Bukhari. After the Lok Sabha elections were announced, Lone had sought the support of “like-minded” parties to take on the NC in North Kashmir. “We are united and we will stay united to respond to those who oppose us,” Bukhari said.

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Also read | ‘Nobody is with the BJP during the elections. They are always with them after the elections’: Sajad Lone at Idea Exchange

Bukhari also urged the gathering to vote for the People’s Conference on May 20.

“Nine out of the last 10 MPs (in North Kashmir) were from the NC. They should answer for the last 40 years. Kashmiris deserve to know what nine MPs have done,” Bukhari said.

The People’s Conference slogan for this election is “Dignity and Development”.

Shahnawaz Khan, a voter from Lone’s hometown of Handwara said his vote would be “against PSA (Public Safety Act) and pellets”. He said Lone’s party’s message “dignity” was what brought him to the rally Thursday.

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Showkat Ahmad (19), who travelled from Sheeri village to attend Lone’s rally, said, “I wanted to hear him speak and make up my mind. I will vote for the first time and I want to make an informed decision.” He said jobs for himself and his brother after they finish their studies was the most important issue for him.

In the 2019 general election, the constituency had recorded 34.6 per cent voting, the highest among the Valley’s three Lok Sabha seats.

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