India, June 27 -- Jailed Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, has been overwhelmingly blocked by his own party members from resigning his parliamentary seat.

During an internal secret ballot vote, 746 out of 773 Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) delegates (nearly 96%) representing all 18 assembly segments of the North and Central Kashmir constituencies voted against his resignation proposal on Friday. Only 24 delegates supported his exit, while three chose the NOTA (None of the above) option.

Rashid, the founder and chief of the AIP, has been lodged in New Delhi's Tihar Jail since August 2019 following his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in ...