No resources, yet PhD holder Dr Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman defeated minister Razia Sultana

Parvesh Sharma

Malerkotla, March 17

When Dr Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman, 62, got AAP ticket from Malerkotla against minister Razia Sultana, wife of former DGP Mohammad Mustafa, many had expressed doubts about his victory. But Rahman, who only had Rs 35,000 cash in hand and Rs 46.50 as bank balance when he started his election campaign, defeated Razia with even lesser resources than his opponent. Rahman got 65,948 votes while Razia got 44,262 votes.

“It was a direct fight between an ‘aam aadmi’ and minister supported by her former DGP husband. We faced problems as cops also created problems for us, but the voters proved they were supreme,” says Rahman.

He does not have any investment in bonds, shares, savings, nor he owns any vehicle, nor he has any agriculture land, but owns a house.

“When I campaigned on foot and two-wheelers, my opponents in their big SUVs with security guards used to pass by me. I used four-wheelers when I had to travel long distance. They tried to pressure voters, who ushered in a change for better,” said Rahman. Rahman has been with AAP since 2013. He has been running a public school for the past 40 years in Malerkotla. Some of his family members are vegetable suppliers. “I respect all religions. I completed my PhD on the descendents of Guru Nanak Dev in 2015,” he said. Rahman is currently visiting shops, localities and meeting people on the way to thank them for electing him as their representative.