“Jamaat’s decision to participate in electoral politics is a reflection of radical change in its political position. From being active in separatist politics and shunning democratic politics – it is a great leap towards mainstream electoral politics.”
Rekha Chowdhary*
It is an important development in Kashmir that Jamaat-e-Islami has decided to field candidates in the Assembly elections as independents. Jamaat, which has been banned since 2019, has been, for some time, showing its keenness to participate in electoral politics and has been requesting the lifting of the ban imposed on this organisation.
While the ban on the organisation is intact, it nevertheless has decided to field candidates as independents.
Jamaat has an intricate history in the politics of Kashmir. Being a socio-religious organisation having a network of educational institutions in Kashmir, it has participated in electoral politics while it has also been an organisation that has had a close association with separatist politics and militancy.
It was closely associated with Hizbul Mujahideen a militant organisation and was also a part of the All Party Hurriyat Conference. In 1998, it disassociated itself from militancy but continued to be a separatist organisation.
As history would inform us, Jamaat and National Conference had antithetical relations, ideologically as well as politically.
History of Jamaat-e-Islami in J&K
Jamaat was formed in 1942 but its visibility in electoral politics was felt in the early 1970s. As per the political analysts, the organisation was encouraged to contest the 1972 Assembly elections to stall the entry of Plebiscite Front (working under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah) in electoral politics.
Plebiscite Front at that time expressed its willingness to contest elections. After registering an impressive victory of its candidates in the Panchayat elections that were held in the late 1960s, the Plebiscite Front wanted to compete in the Assembly elections.
While the Plebiscite Front was banned, the Jamaat contested the election and could win five seats polling 7.2% votes in Kashmir.
With the re-entry of Sheikh Abdullah and National Conference in Kashmir’s politics in 1975, the Jamaat was marginalised. It could not fare as well in the 1977 Assembly elections. Its vote share was reduced to 3.6 percent and it could win merely one seat. It could not win any seat in the 1983 elections.
Muslim United Front in Kashmir
In 1986, the Jamaat took the lead in launching a front of religious and political organisations. The United Muslim Front (MUF) was formed in 1986. This front comprised various organisations including Jamat-e-Islami Jamat-e-Tulba, Jamat-e-Ahle-Hadith, Anjuman, Tahafiz-ul-Islam, and many more. However, even after its emergence the MUF could not be a political force in Kashmir because of the popularity of the National Conference.
National Conference at that time, it needs to be noted, was pursuing anti-Congress politics. Following Farooq Abdullah’s dismissal from power and the formation of G M Shah-led government of defectors in 1984, the National Conference joined the all-India alliance of anti-Congress parties and participated in its conclaves. It even organised one such anti-Congress national conclave in Kashmir.
However, as National Conference opted out of the anti-Congress alliance and entered into a formal alliance with Congress under the Rajeev-Farooq accord, the situation changed in Kashmir. While the NC-Congress alliance was termed as ‘unholy’ one, NC lost its political appeal.
Jamaat could now fill in the political void created in the anti-Congress and anti-centre constituency created by the NC since 1975. However, the MUF was banned in September 1986 and the Muslim United Front (MUF) was organised to take on the National Conference in the electoral arena.
However, despite the great hype of MUF during the election campaign, the conglomerate could not register many victories. This was even though MUF could poll 31.8% of votes in Kashmir (as against 45.1% of NC). The NC-Congress alliance got 38 of the 42 Assembly seats (32 for NC and 6 for Congress). MUF could win only four seats.
What made the result controversial was the narrow victories of the NC. In as many as 11 constituencies the NC-Congress combine won the election by a very narrow margin – in few constituencies as low as 100, 122, 336 votes. Simultaneously, there was a very high percentage of rejected votes.
It was this electoral verdict, which was to become the reason for political turbulence in Kashmir. With the allegation that the election was manipulated and rigged, the political environment of Kashmir was to undergo a major transformation after that.
The protests and processions in the post-1987 period ultimately gave way to armed militancy and separatism in Kashmir. Democratic politics collapsed and political parties became irrelevant in Kashmir. Thereafter, Jamaat became associated with separatist politics and militancy via Hizbul Mujahideen.
All Party Hurriyat Conference formation
When the All Party Hurriyat Conference was organised as a political face of militant outfits, the Jamaat was a key member of this amalgam. It was also represented in its seven-member executive committee.
Even after its disassociation with militancy in 1998, the Jamaat continued to be a separatist organisation. It has, therefore, been shunning electoral politics and has been known for its boycott campaigns.
Jamaat’s decision to participate in electoral politics is a reflection of radical change in its political position. From being active in separatist politics and shunning democratic politics – it is a great leap towards mainstream electoral politics.
Will the entry of Jamaat candidates make some difference in the electoral outcome?
It is difficult to say at the moment, but one can clearly state that Jamaat has its cadre and its support base. Its presence may impact the NC space to some extent. But, the constituencies that the Jamaat candidates are contesting are in South Kashmir, which is PDP’s stronghold and, therefore, will certainly impact PDP as well. How much, though is difficult to say, at the moment.
*Rekha Chowdhary was formerly a professor of Political Science at the University of Jammu.
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The post Jamaat-e-Islami fielding independents: Looking at the historical context first appeared on Kashmir Times (Since 1954): Multi-media web news platform..
The post Jamaat-e-Islami fielding independents: Looking at the historical context appeared first on Kashmir Times (Since 1954): Multi-media web news platform..