Srinagar: Jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, led former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla seat as of 2 p.m. Before the results were released, Mr Abdullah congratulated Mr Sheikh, saying that "it's time to accept the inevitable".
Rashid's victory is surprising given that he contested the elections from Tihar jail, where he has been held for the past five years on charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
He ran in the election as an independent candidate. Since he was in jail, his two sons have directed his campaign, which began barely two weeks before the Baramulla constituency voted in the fifth electoral phase on May 20.
The National Conference currently leads in Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri, while the Bharatiya Janata Party leads in Udhampur and Jammu.
This is Jammu and Kashmir's first election as a Union Territory since it was a part of the State of Jammu and Kashmir until 2019 when the State's special status was revoked and it was divided into two Union Territories (Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh) under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2
019.