For decades, the political story of Kashmir was shaped as much by those who participated in elections as by those who rejected them. Boycotts, separatist politics, militancy and distrust of democratic institutions repeatedly influenced electoral behaviour in the Valley. Against this historical background, the re-emergence of elements associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir in electoral politics represents a development of considerable political significance.

The change became dramatically visible during the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. Jamaat itself remained banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and therefore could not contest as a recognised organisation. Nevertheless, individuals associated with it entered the electoral arena as Independents, ending an absence from electoral competition stretching back to the 1987 Assembly election.The immediate electoral results were modest. None of the Jamaat-backed Independent candidates won. Yet judging the development merely by seats won would miss its larger significance.

The real story was not victory.The real story was participation.From Boycott to BallotFew transformations in Kashmir politics are more symbolically important than the movement from questioning elections to seeking legitimacy through them.Jamaat has a complicated political history. It participated in electoral politics in earlier decades but subsequently became associated with separatist politics during the turbulent period that followed the 1987 elections. Its return to the electoral field after more than three decades therefore represent  a major change in its political position towards mainstream electoral politics.During the 2024 elections, Jamaat-backed candidates campaigned publicly, addressed voters and sought support through precisely the democratic mechanism that Kashmir’s separatist ecosystem had spent years discouraging.That transition carries a message far greater than the performance of individual candidates.The ballot box was acquiring legitimacy even among sections of society historically sceptical of it.The 1987 ShadowThe significance becomes clearer when viewed against the background of 1987.That election occupies a deeply controversial place in Kashmir’s political history. Allegations of widespread manipulation surrounding the election contributed to political alienation, and the period that followed witnessed the emergence of militancy and a dramatic........

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