Amid old rivalry Kulgam, red trumps green

Behind Tarigami’s agelong streak of wins are his development-oriented politics, enactment from the National Conference (NC) and the lack of the Jamaat, his main rival, from the electoral country since the aboriginal 1990s. The Left-Jamaat rivalry successful Kulgam is arsenic aged arsenic Tarigami’s electoral career.

In the 1960s, the governmental ideology of Tarigami, past a assemblage student, was influenced by the socialist views of Abdul Kabir Wani, a Communist person from Chawalgam successful Kulgam. Tarigami lived conscionable a fewer kilometres distant successful Tarigam, the colony that gave him his past name.

Inspired by Wani and Ram Piara Saraf and Krishen Dev Sethi, socialists and members of the J&K Constituent Assembly, Tarigami joined the Revolutionary Students and Youth Federation successful 1967 arsenic a assemblage student. The increasing popularity of socialist ideals alerted the Jamaat, a spiritual outfit with a beardown basal successful the neighbouring Shopian. Two of the Jamaat’s influential founding members, Ghulam Ahmad Ahrar and Hakim Ghulam Nabi, were from Shopian.

The Jamaat started moving connected the ground. It was past that Sheikh Ghulam Hassan, a chap villager successful Tarigam who aboriginal roseate to go the Ameer-e-Jamaat (Jamaat chief) for 2 terms, resigned from his authorities occupation to absorption connected spreading the Jamaat ideology successful Kulgam.

Around this time, the socialist leaders who influenced Tarigami switched sides to follow Naxalite ideology. Tarigami and others followed, went underground and were arrested successful 1970 nether the Preventive Detention Act. While they were successful jail, the Jamaat successfully worked connected the crushed and dilatory turned its “red” villages into “green”.  In 1972, the Jamaat showed its beingness successful Kulgam erstwhile its campaigner Abdul Razak Mir was elected to the authorities Assembly. The neighbouring Homshalibugh (then known arsenic the Nandi constituency) was besides won by the Jamaat’s Ali Mohammad Dar.

Tarigami jumped into the Kulgam electoral fray successful 1983 but stood 4th down the NC, Jamaat and Congress. In the 1987 Assembly elections, believed to person been massively rigged successful favour of the NC-Congress confederation that led to insurgency successful the Valley, the Jamaat wrested the spot from the NC portion Tarigami stood third.

As militancy took root, the Jamaat legislators, elected arsenic Independents, resigned from the Assembly and the Jamaat decided to enactment distant from polls. This gave Tarigami an accidental to summation a foothold successful Kulgam.

In the 1996 Assembly elections, the archetypal since militancy began and aft six years of President’s Rule, helium contested his 3rd consecutive polls. The NC, past the lone viable governmental unit successful Kashmir, did not tract a campaigner against him, and Tarigami won the spot for the archetypal time. His nearest rivals were from the Janata Dal and the J&K Awami League, a governmental enactment formed by counter-insurgents led by Kuka Parray.

Three years aft the Tarigami’s archetypal win, Kashmir’s governmental scenery witnessed different alteration — the enactment of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Within 3 years, the enactment seen arsenic a viable alternate to the NC, gained a foothold successful South Kashmir.

In the 2002 Assembly polls, Tarigami was up against not conscionable the NC but besides the PDP.  Since the Jamaat and their supporters  had stayed distant from elections, the anti-Tarigami ballot divided betwixt the NC and PDP, and Tarigami sailed done easily.

By 2008, the Jamaat sympathisers had a rethink of their boycott, particularly successful South Kashmir. While their cadres mostly kept distant from polls, galore of their supporters rallied down the PDP. This changed the equation for Tarigami. Though helium scraped done successful the 2008 and 2014 elections, by margins of 336 and 334 votes respectively, helium was being powerfully challenged connected his turf.

After 37 years, successful the existent J&K elections, a faction of  the Jamaat had a alteration of bosom and decided to enactment successful the antiauthoritarian exercise. While its introduction did not make overmuch involvement successful the Valley, successful Kulgam, the aged rivalry came to the fore erstwhile again. As the run started, Jamaat’s campaigner Reshi targeted Tarigami’s socialist ideology saying it is against the principles of Islam, which could person been a rallying constituent against the Left leader. But by now, Tarigami has established himself successful Kulgam not lone arsenic a Communist face, but besides arsenic a governmental person whose single-point absorption is connected improvement and the day-to-day issues of the people.

The residents of the villages successful Kulgam curse by his improvement work, particularly the black-topped roads that snake done far-off villages, orchards and paddy fields.

While Tarigami’s manifesto has ever been centred connected development, successful his run for this election, helium besides talked astir identity, Article 370, alleged “anti-Muslim” policies of the Narendra Modi authorities and the larger Kashmir issue. The Jamaat candidates failed to antagonistic him.

A enactment that was astatine the forefront of militancy for 3 decades did not speech astir the Kashmir issue,  Article 370 oregon quality rights. There was choler wrong its cadre and portion immoderate of them did not vote, immoderate others supported Tarigami, who was besides backed by the NC-Congress combine. And this time, helium did not compression done by a fewer 100 votes, but clinched his Kulgam bastion by implicit 7,800 votes.