Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said they welcome the decision of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) members to contest the upcoming assembly elections, though they demanded their ban should be lifted.
"This is the quality of a democracy. Everyone has complete freedom to contest elections. I read the reports that Jamaat-e-Islami members will contest the upcoming assembly elections as independents, though they wanted the ban on their organisation lifted, which is welcome," Omar, the vice president of National Conference (NC) told reporters in Ganderbal, when he was asked that JeI members will contest assembly elections as independent candidates.
The JeI was banned by the BJP government in 2019 before the abrogation of Article 370 and after the Pulwama fidayeen attack on a CRPF convoy. A tribunal in Delhi on Saturday upheld the ban imposed on JeI under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Recently, in parliament elections, many JeI leaders cast their votes and expressed their willingness to contest the assembly elections if the Centre lifted the ban on them.
The mainstream political parties welcomed the JeI decision of voting in the Lok Sabha elections and contesting assembly elections. "We wanted that they field candidates on their organisation and symbol but that is not possible (due to the ban). Let them contest as independents and bring out a manifesto and promises then it is upto the people whom they like to vote," Omar said.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that it is a very good decision by the JeI but the Centre should lift the ban imposed on it. "Jamaat-e-Islami is a religious and social organisation who have done a lot of social and educational work in Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, it was banned by the Centre when communal organisations who attack masjids, lynch Muslims in the name of cow protection are let free but good organisations like Jammat who work for the social welfare of the people are banned," Mehbooba told reporters here.
The Jammat is a socio-political organisation which yielded its influence on the people in Jammu and Kashmir. Until 1987, it contested the elections with the Muslim United Front but later boycotted all the elections held since 1987 as the organisation alleged that the 1987 polls were rigged and it lost the trust in democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, after the ban when dozens of its leaders and sympathisers were arrested, the JeI secretly held talks with the Centre and showed its willingness to participate in elections but put a condition that the ban on it should be removed. Reports said that JeI will field candidates in Kulgam, Devsar, Tral, Zainapora, Bijbhera, Pulwama and Rajpora assembly constituencies which are slated for polls on September 18. The nomination filing for these segments will end on August 27.
Jammu and Kashmir is slated for polls on September 18 in the first phase when 24 segments will vote. The second and third phases are being held on September 25 and October 1. Counting will be held on October 4. These are the first assembly elections held in the UT after the abrogation of Article 370.
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