Usman Majeed To Gulzar Ahmad Dar: Former Militants, Separatists In Fray For Jammu And Kashmir Polls

In the three-phase assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, five former militants, four separatist leaders and ten candidates from the banned Jamaat-e-Islami outfit contested the elections.

The elections in Jammu and Kashmir that concluded on October 1 saw more than a dozen candidates across political parties who moved away from militancy and separatism, in what is being called a wind of change in the valley. 

In the three-phase assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir held after a decade, five former militants, four separatist leaders and ten candidates from the banned Jamaat-e-Islami outfit contested the elections.

The counting of votes for 90 Assembly constituencies will begin in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning giving the union territory its first elected government since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated. 

Here are some of the former militants who are in the fray for the Jammu and Kashmir elections: 

Usman Majeed: Majeed, a two-time MLA from Bandipora, is contesting this time for the seat again. He left the militancy in the mid-1990s and joined the counterinsurgency Ikhwan group, according to a report in The Indian Express. Though, Usman Majeed started his politics with Congress, he switched to the Apni Party three years ago. He left the Apni Party and decided to contest as an Independent.

Gulzar Ahmad Dar: Dar is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate from South Kashmir’s Damhal Hanji Pora Assembly seat. He crossed over to Pakistan for arms training in 1990 and returned to the Kashmir valley a year later. He surrendered in 1994 and joined a government-backed counterinsurgency force. He joined PDP this year. 

Saif-ud-din Bhat: Bhat is a candidate from the Khansahib assembly segment and has a complex background. He began his political career with the Congress party but later joined the PDP. He previously contested elections in 2008 and 2014 on the PDP ticket. 

Mohammad Farooq Khan: Khan unsuccessfully contested the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections with the BJP in 2018. Like other former militants contesting the assembly elections, he crossed over to Pakistan for training in the 1990s and returned to the valley through Nepal in 2011 and joined the J&K Liberation Front (JKLF). He also contested the assembly polls on a Samajwadi Party ticket from the Habba Kadal constituency.

Sheikh Fida Hussain: Hussain, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from in Kulgam's Devsar, has a controversial background marked by police records of his involvement in militancy. 

Mohammad Ashraf Hajam: Hajam is one of the first Muslim leaders from Jammu and Kashmir to join the BJP. He contested the assembly elections in J&K from Budgam in 2008. 

Engineer Rashid: Though Engineer Rashid is not contesting the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election, his party Awami Ittehad Party is contesting the elections reportedly on 34 seats.