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All three Jamaat-e-Islami candidates will contest from different constituencies in South Kashmir | Representational Image
Banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) has fielded three of its former members as independent candidates to contest the first phase of the upcoming assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
All three candidates will contest from different constituencies in South Kashmir: Talaat Majeed from the Pulwama constituency, Sayar Ahmad Reshi from Kulgam, and Mohammad Sidiq from Devsar.
Initially, JeI had planned to field seven candidates from South Kashmir. However, three of its potential candidates—from Bijbehara, Shopian, and Anantnag—withdrew at the last moment.
Meanwhile, the outfit is still in discussions with its seventh potential candidate from Zainpora, according to an Indian Express report. However, his chances of filing the papers in time are slim, as Tuesday (August 27) is the last date for filing nominations for the first phase of the J&K assembly elections.
Jamaat keen to contest elections
Following several rounds of talks with the Centre through J&K Apni Party’s chief Altaf Bukhari, JeI has expressed its willingness to contest the elections. The outfit also seeks the lifting of the ban imposed on it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since February 2019.
Previously, the Centre had asked JeI to vote in the Lok Sabha elections as the first condition for lifting the ban. Subsequently, a large number of Jamaat leaders participated in the general elections held earlier this year.
Notably, JeI has an eight-member panel to engage with the Centre. The Jamaat plans to field 10-12 candidates as independents in the Valley during the three-phase Assembly polls, scheduled to be held from September 18 to October 1.
J&K parties welcome JeI’s participation
On Monday (August 26), Sajad Gani Lone, the chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC), referred to members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) as “victims.”
In a post on X, he said, “They (affiliates of JeI) have experienced imprisonment, torture, and the most harrowing of times. They know what pain is and are therefore in a better position to understand the suffering of others. This brings back the VICTIM and VICTOR debate. The mainstream space has been dominated by those who were victors—those who jailed, killed, and tortured people during the worst times of violence in the post-1989 era.”
I am extremely pleased if the news that some individuals affiliated with Jamaat Islamia are contesting elections is true. I sincerely hope it is.@JKPCOfficial and Jamaat have coexisted in the mainstream political space prior to 1989. We rarely agreed politically and often…
— Sajad Lone (@sajadlone) August 26, 2024
Previously, on Sunday (August 25), People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said the banned outfit’s willingness to contest the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir is a positive step. She also called for the ban on JeI to be lifted.
“It is a good thing. I want the Government of India to revoke the ban on JeI because if you are not banning communal organisations that are spreading venom in this country—I do not want to name them—those who take out rallies, pelt stones at mosques, and lynch Muslims, then why is there a ban on JeI, which has contributed significantly in the education sector, helped people during the 2014 floods, and during Covid?” Mufti told reporters in Srinagar.
First Published: Aug 27 2024 | 3:31 PM IST
