Congress' Tryst With Fire: An Unholy Alliance With The Radical Jamaat-E-Islami

The much-awaited bypolls to Nilambur Assembly Constituency in Kerala have come to an end, with UDF’s Aryadan Shoukath securing an expected victory. In the fiercely fought election, UDF regained control over the LDF’s Nilambur by a margin of 11,077 votes. Shoukath bagged 77,737 votes, while LDF’s M. Swaraj and BJP’s Mohan George secured 66,660 and 8,648 votes respectively. Sitting MLA P. V. Anvar, who had resigned in dramatic fashion after challenging Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, garnered an impressive 19,690 votes, highlighting his local influence despite political isolation.

The BJP has retained its base vote in Nilambur, though it has failed to expand significantly. The results underline a potential shift in voter sentiment, particularly against the backdrop of rising anti-incumbency concerns for the LDF ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

Why This Bypoll and Congress’s Alliance With JEIH Matters

The UDF has been quick to interpret the bypoll outcome as a litmus test for the ruling coalition, especially given Nilambur’s earlier leanings towards the Left. While significant, Nilambur is still just one constituency. The 2025 local body polls would be a stronger indicator of the political sentiments of the state.

The UDF certainly has valid reasons to read this result as a sign of growing anti-incumbency in Kerala. But whether anti-incumbency is strong enough to unseat the LDF is not something we can assess from this single bypoll, especially given the dynamics of the constituency.

With about 10 months to go before Kerala heads to the polls, there is still plenty of time for the political winds to shift. UDF can be happy, and LDF should read the worrying signals, but whether this would manifest into a trend that would unseat the LDF is a long shot.

Particularly impressive was the BJP, which was able to retain around 8,000 votes, marginally increasing their tally from the 2021 polls. Given the historical underperformance of the BJP in bypolls, retaining core voters was a favourable outcome.

This result is not at all a surprise, given that the outcome was more or less as expected. Swaraj’s unpopularity likely affected his chances, and a Christian or Muslim candidate from CPM would have done better. The BJP’s vote share and the UDF’s narrative of anti-incumbency have come true in the days following the results.

More than the assembly polls, a worrying sign for the entire state is how Congress and its Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan have normalised and attempted to mainstream Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JEIH) and the Welfare Party. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Catholic Congress, and Sunni scholars have strongly denounced UDF’s embrace of JEIH as a threat to Kerala’s secular ethos and a legitimisation of extremism in Kerala politics.

The real question here is: by seeking support from an Islamist organisation, is the Congress playing with fire?

It created a political row when the Welfare Party, which is backed by JEIH, extended its support to Congress’s Aryadan Shoukath in the Nilambur bypolls. Aryadan Shoukath, the very same man who once boldly challenged extremist ideologies within his own community through films like Daivanamathil, now seems perfectly comfortable accepting support from Jamaat-e-Islami.

The move is rooted in political convenience and showcases the contradiction in both Shoukath’s and the UDF’s stances.

To add fuel to the fire, the Leader of Opposition in Kerala, V. D. Satheesan, remarked that the Jamaat had abandoned its extremist stance and praised the organisation. But his remarks attracted criticism from other fellow Muslim outfits like the AP Sunni faction of the Samastha, with leaders like Abdul Hakim Azhari commenting: “JEIH's ideology is built on the idea of a theocratic state. There is no sign they have given it up. Explanations from other political leaders are not enough.”

Even the EK Sunni faction of the Samastha, traditionally pro-IUML and an ally of the Congress, has always opposed any political cooperation with the JEIH and expressed strong disapproval of the Congress decision. Individuals within the Congress were also not happy about this alliance, with K. V. Raveendran, a former Kannur District Congress Committee member, quitting the Congress. He later joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

But why is the Jamaat isolated even by fellow Muslim organisations?

To identify the opposition to the Jamaat, it is important to understand their history and ideology. The thoughts of Jamaat’s founder Syed Abul Ala Maududi are very revealing of what he thought Islam is. In his book Jihad in Islam, written in 1939, on page 6, he mentions:

“Islam is interested in the welfare of mankind as a whole and has its own concept of this welfare and methodology to implement it. Any government or authority opposed to its ideology and concept, wherever and whoever it is, Islam is out there to eliminate it. Islam stands for its own ideology and concept without caring the least who supports its cause and whose authority vanquishes in this process. Islam demands not any piece of land but authority all over the globe.”

Maududi’s take on women is also straight from the 7th century. He found the visibility of women in bazaars, colleges, theatres, and restaurants as the greatest threat to morality. Arts, literature, music, film, dance, and the use of makeup by women were all perceived as threats to morality.

Jamaat is clearly anti-democratic as well. According to Maududi, the founder, it believes in ‘Hakimiya’, according to which sovereignty belongs to God and not human beings. Democracy, being an ideology which places sovereignty with the people, cannot be Islamic.

It is this Islamist organisation, with the fundamental ideology of radical Islam at its base, that was given a clean chit by Congress’s Leader of Opposition in Kerala, V. D. Satheesan. This exoneration of Jamaat-e-Islami as a friend is undoubtedly a tryst with fire.

An Alliance with JEIH: An Existential Threat to the IUML?

For the IUML, the Jamaat is a political rival aiming to become the main voice for Muslims, threatening the League’s dominance. K. M. Shaji, a two-time MLA and a prominent face of the Muslim League in Malabar, believes that the Jamaat and the Muslim League can never be together.

Shaji goes on to say that the reason why he opposes PFI and Jamaat-e-Islami is because of how they brainwash and indoctrinate the Muslim youth in Kerala. He draws parallels with Jamaat and SDPI. As Shaji rightly puts it, Jamaat-e-Islami is not a passive ideology; it manifests actively through groups like the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). SDPI, he says, puts into practice the teachings of Maududi, the founder of the Jamaat.

This bonhomie between JEIH and Congress is therefore a clear and direct threat to the Muslim League’s politics itself. For decades, the IUML has consistently warned the UDF about electoral adjustments with fundamentally radical outfits like the JEIH.

This is also not the first time Congress has taken JEIH’s support to win elections. In 2020, the Congress government harnessed Jamaat-backed Welfare Party support to secure seats in local body elections.

The CPM and the LDF are no different, having taken it as a policy to accommodate radical Islamist organisations to secure the Muslim vote. This started in the 1990s, when they accommodated the Indian National League, which had split off from the Muslim League. The INL had been formed by those who dissociated from Congress because it did not take enough action against the BJP and the RSS. These radicals were encouraged and made a part of the LDF.

This theme of encouraging radicals to split the Muslim vote by the LDF continued with the accommodation of people like Abdul Nasar Madani, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). CPM has also taken covert support from organisations that have in the past killed their own workers. The covert support of PFI and SDPI has long been part of CPM’s game plan to secure votes in the Muslim community.

Given the violent history of these organisations, Congress’s decision to align with the Jamaat, whose ideological base echoes that of the SDPI and PFI, is deeply troubling. It is a decision aimed at short-term gains, which shall have long-term effects, including making Kerala a hotbed of extremism.

Selective Memory: Oommen Chandy’s 2014 Stand on JEIH

While giving this clean chit, Satheesan also forgets how the late Shri Oommen Chandy-led UDF Government had called the constitution of the Jamaat unconstitutional back in 2014. In an affidavit filed by the Government of Kerala in a public interest litigation, the state government made the following remarks:

“On verification of the constitution of JEIH in Malayalam published in 1957, it is seen that JEIH directs its followers to relinquish any key posts which he/she holds under an ungodly governmental system or membership of its legislature or a judicial officer under its judicial system (Article 8). Similarly, Article 9 of their constitution states that ‘in case of being part of any ungodly governmental system or being instrumental in giving effect to its laws, should readily part with that means of sustenance’. The article further states that ‘do not go to un-Islamic law courts for settlement of matters, except under compelling necessity’.”

Eleven years ago, the UDF-led government clearly took the position that Jamaat’s intentions and existence are suspect. But today, V. D. Satheesan seems to have forgotten that for electoral convenience. In a desperate bid to return to power after being out since 2016, Congress is now aligning with the very forces it once warned against. Empowering groups rooted in Islamic fundamentalism could backfire badly, giving them both legitimacy and free rein in Kerala’s mainstream politics.

UDF-JEIH Alliance: A Gift by the Poster Kids of the Islamists

The Jamaat’s support is also linked to the fact that the Gandhi siblings have become the poster kids for the Jamaat and other Islamist organisations. The support of the Gandhi family to Palestine and Hamas is a manifestation of this fact and their attempt to maintain this vote bank.

Sonia Gandhi’s selective humanitarianism is nothing but an attempt to placate the Islamists and consolidate the vote bank. Priyanka Gandhi’s solidarity expression for Gaza in Parliament stems from the same ulterior motives.

In all this, the Gandhi family has successfully become the political leadership that the Islamists look forward to while ignoring the actual issues that matter in the country. While Priyanka was quick enough to address the problems of Gaza, she is often quoted as a tourist MP in her own Wayanad constituency.

The region continues to struggle with serious issues like human-animal conflict, yet her involvement rarely goes beyond occasional visits and social media posts. It is a clear reflection of the Congress’s skewed priorities, where global optics seem to matter more than local action.

In all these attempts to create allies and desperation to come into power, the Congress is forgetting how the Oommen Chandy-led Congress government had taken a stance against the Jamaat.

The kind of clarity and conviction that had even been shown by a UDF government in 2014 is missing in today’s Congress leadership under V. D. Satheesan. In their haste to regain power, they are aligning with a group that openly advocates for sharia law and order, rooted in the teachings of Maulana Abul A'la Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami.

By giving political legitimacy to Islamist organisations, Congress is not just courting a new vote bank, they are opening the door to an ideology that could fundamentally alter the communal amity in the state.

Congress has shown that in desperation for electoral success, it will go to any extent. It is truly dangerous not just for Kerala but the entire country that such a radical and extremist organisation is being mainstreamed by the largest opposition party.