In the run-up to the 2014 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Mohammad Abdullah Wani issued a statement asking its cadre to steer clear of the electoral process. The stance was in line with the Jamaat’s policy of boycotting elections since the 1987 polls, which were widely perceived as rigged and marked the eruption of militancy in the region. 

Following the 2014 polls, the region did not see Assembly elections and underwent a tectonic political and territorial shift after the BJP government scrapped the special constitutional provisions of Jammu and Kashmir.

The shift also impacted the Jamaat’s long-standing stance of boycotting the polls. The religio-political organisation, which was banned in 2019 following the Pulwama attack, expressed willingness to participate in polls during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections if the ban is lifted. 

The organisation also formed a panel to negotiate with the Union government. However, after a UAPA tribunal upheld the ban on the organisation on August 23, it decided to field its candidates independently.

A Jamaat leader and the panel member, who did not want to be named, said that the organisation would contest seven to eight seats in the Valley.

“We will also contest one or two seats from Doda district in Jammu region”, said the panel member.

Jamaat and LS polls

During the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, people in large numbers came out of their homes and cast their ballots in the Valley. Areas that had traditionally stayed away from the electoral process due to boycott calls issued by militants and separatist leaders recorded a high voter turnout. 

Jamaat leaders say that the elections were held in a free and fair manner, spurring them to field their candidates despite the ban. 

“These elections restored our faith in the electoral process and democracy of India”, said the panel member. 

No election manifesto 

The panel member said that since the Jamaat was not contesting the polls as an organisation due to its ban, it could not issue a manifesto like the other political parties. 

He, however, said that their candidates would raise the common issues confronting the people in their respective constituencies and advocate for peace. 

The member said that the organisation believes in the Indian Constitution, and Article 5 of the Jamaat Constitution binds them to operate within the framework of the Constitution. 

“These were the rigged elections of 1987 that shook our faith in the poll process”, he said. 

Jamaat participated in the Assembly elections for the first time in 1972 and won five seats from the Valley. However, in the 1977 elections, which were widely believed as the first free and fair elections, the organisation could win only one seat.

Welcoming the decision 

Former Chief Minister and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice president on Sunday told reporters in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district that it was the beauty of democracy that everyone had full freedom to contest the elections.

“I wanted them to contest on their own symbol, but it is not possible due to the ban. Let them come up with their election manifesto and promises and then it is up to the people to decide whom they vote for”, said Omar.

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