Three former members of the banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir filed their nomination papers from various constituencies of South Kashmir on Tuesday, the last day for filing nomination for the first phase of the upcoming J&K Assembly elections.
These Jamaat-e-Islami nominees include Dr Talat Majeed, Sayar Ahmad Reshi and Nazir Ahmad.
The Jamaat is also backing another Independent candidate Umar Hamid in this phase, even though he had not been its member.
As the Jamaat cannot take part in the elections due to the ban imposed on it by the Union home ministry, the socio-political organisation has decided to field its ex-members in the Assembly polls as Independents.
Of the 24 seats bound for the first phase of polls scheduled for September 18, 16 are from Kashmir, all in its southern belt, and 8 are from the Jammu region.
The Jamaat has fielded Dr Talat Majeed as an Independent from the Pulwama constituency. A former rukn (registered member) of the Jamaat, 47-year-old Majeed is a resident of Pulwama, who is said to be “well-regarded” in local social circles. He became the first Jamaat face to enter mainstream politics in 2023, when he surprised many by joining the Altaf Bukhari-led Apni Party.
Majeed, who has a doctorate in soil sciences, resigned from his government job as an “agrilcuture extension assistant” in 2023 to join politics.
“I was the first Jamaat leader, who advised its leadership to contest Assembly elections in 2014,” Majeed told The Indian Express. “I always had apprehensions that Jamaat would be banned and have been telling them (leadership) that we can’t ignore the geopolitical scenario and should come into the mainstream.”
Majeed said his first priority is to “save the youth of Kashmir”. “We can’t let them to be used as cannon fodder. I would also focus on economy and education,” he said. “My second priority would be to seek revocation of ban on Jamaat-e-Islami.”
Another former Jamaat member Sayar Ahmad Reshi has filed his nomination as an Independent from the Kulgam seat. Reshi, 42, has an MPhil in Political Sciences, who worked in the Jamaat-affiliated Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT) – a trust that runs hundreds of schools across J&K – as a district head. In February this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had raided Reshi’s house in Kulgam in an alleged Jamaat terror funding case.
“There are many things that I would like to work for – such as employment for youth, weaning them away from drug addiction, ensuring improvement in education and healthcare,” Reshi said. “I would also like to work for women empowerment and elderly persons”.
He said he was not supposed to work for lifting of ban on the Jamaat as the outfit has already formed its panel for it. “That issue would be dealt with by this panel,” he said.
The Jamaat is also backing 27-year-old Umar Hamid, a resident of Manihal village in Imam Sahib, in the first phase. He has filed his nomination as an Independent from the Zainpora seat in Shopian.
Hamid, who has an MA degree in Islamic Studies and Political Sciences, was never affiliated to the Jamaat-e-Islami, though. “If Jamaat wants to support me, I would welcome it. For a candidate, vote is the most important thing,” Hamid said. “The Jamaat has said they will support any candidate that they feel is deserving. It is their decision.”
He said his election plank would be the problems being faced by youth, who, he added, “have not been properly represented till now”.
Hamid said he was motivated by his friends to contest the elections as they saw “some leadership qualities in me”.
In the Devsar constituency, the Jamaat has fielded its low-profile ex-member Nazir Ahmad as an Independent. Ahmad, 49, hails from Hablish village of Kulgam.
While the Jamaat was planning to field seven candidates as Independents in the first phase of polls, three of these probable faces – from the Bijbehara, Shopian and Anantnag seats – backed out at the last moment.
The Jamaat’s struggle with fielding candidates is said to be a pointer to how “unpopular” its decision to take the electoral plunge has been among its own dedicated cadre that is estimated to be around 20,000 across J&K.
The Jamaat has not taken part in any elections in J&K after 1987 and had earlier been seen as a separatist outfit.
In July, The Indian Express reported that the Jamaat is keen to contest the Assembly elections after it engaged in several rounds of talks with the Centre through Altaf Bukhari. While the Jamaat wanted the ban, imposed on it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since February 2019, to be lifted, the Centre asked them to vote in the recent Lok Sabha elections as its first condition. A large number of former Jamaat members voted in these polls.
The Jamaat has formed an eight-member panel that has been in talks with the Centre, taking its call on behalf of the outfit’s Advisory Council. The panel has got the backing of several top Jamaat leaders including Dr Hameed Fayaz – who was the outfit head when it was banned – and Faheem Ramzan.
The Jamaat plans to field 10-12 candidates as Independents in the Valley in the three-phase Assembly polls, with the second and third phases scheduled for September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be done on October 4.
