With the picturesque Pir Panjal mountain range in northern India's Kashmir forming the background, a young man with a mop of curly hair wiped sweat off his face as he stood on top of a minitruck, addressing a crowd in an election rally in a town called Dooru Shahabad.
"Engineer Rashid is not an agent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He is an agent for Kashmir. Only he understands the pain of Kashmiris," said Mr Abrar Rashid, 23, as he asked for votes for his father, Mr Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid.
The 57-year-old engineer turned-politician is the leader of the Awami Ittehad Party.
The party came to national prominence after Mr Rashid, who contested the 2024 General Election while in jail, pipped former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) chief Omar Abdullah, to become MP in his maiden attempt.
Mr Rashid and his son have often referenced the BJP in their speeches to deny criticism from the two main Kashmir parties NC and the People's Democratic Party that their party is a proxy for the BJP and would either divide votes or strike a post-election alliance with the BJP.
Engineer Rashid, who has been in jail for 5 years on terror financing charges, is also on the campaign trail after getting interim bail for 22 days from Sept 11.
Their followers chanted: "Pressure cooker, pressure cooker" the party's election symbol at the rally on Sept 12, ahead of the first state election in nearly a decade.
Jammu and Kashmir is holding its three-phase election on Sept 18, Sept 25 and Oct 1, with the counting scheduled for Oct 8.
This will be the first assembly election there since the repeal of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019.
The article gave special status to the territory, allowing it to make its own laws in all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs and communications.
Denne historien er fra September 15, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 15, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NUS team discovers way to rejuvenate eggs of older women
Researchers' breakthrough could boost success of assisted reproductive tech
US senator slammed for saying Muslim advocate supports extremism
Republican Senator John Kennedy accused a leading Muslim civil rights advocate of supporting extremism during a Senate hearing on hate incidents in the US, drawing criticism from many rights groups.
Canadian PM shows no sign of stepping down despite election loss
Doubts about the leadership of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intensified after his ruling Liberal Party suffered a second humiliating loss in a special election, but the unpopular leader is determined to cling to office ahead of a looming national vote.
Golf – a refuge for US presidents but a headache for the Secret Service
Security risks abound on golf courses, with their wide-open spaces offering easy access
More women aged 50 and older having babies
The boundary of motherhood has shifted over the past few years as more women aged 50 and above are having babies.
Developers offered new incentives to use greener cooling solutions
Bonus floor space for those that build new district systems or tap existing ones
COE prices mostly higher; Open category premium hits $113,104
Certificate of entitlement (COE) premiums climbed across most categories on Sept 18, with the Open category recording the biggest rise to hit $113,104.
Turn phone or laptop into health screener with new software
A new software that analyses users' vital signs can turn any laptop or phone camera into a fullyfledged health screening device.
New Silkroutes ex-director gets jail for key role in market rigging
A former finance director of Singapore-listed New Silkroutes Group was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison on Sept 16 after pleading guilty to manipulating its share prices to allow its shares to be used as consideration for corporate deals.
Circle Line services hit again after fire in depot
Transport Correspondent For a second day, passengers on the Circle Line (CCL) had their journeys disrupted after several trains briefly lost power at about 8pm on Sept 18, stalling for about 15 minutes.
