J&K Election: Engineer Rashid's Party Forms Alliance With Banned Jamaat-e-Islami, Creates Problems For PDP, NC

Engineer Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) has formed a pre-poll alliance with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) for the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) assembly elections.

Baramulla MP Rashid recently came out of jail on bail for the elections. He pledged to fight for a solution to the Kashmir issue. He was arrested in a terror funding case.

The decision to form an alliance was made during a joint meeting of leaders from both parties on Sunday (16 September).

The AIP delegation was led by Er Rashid and chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi, while JeI was represented by Ghulam Qadir Wani.

The alliance could cause trouble for Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Abdullahs' National Conference (NC).

Notably, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Rashid defeated NC's Omar Abdullah while being in jail. He came out to take oath on parole.

"Both parties have agreed that AIP will support JeI-backed candidates in Kulgam and Pulwama while JeI will support AIP candidates across the Valley," the alliance statement said.

The statement indicated that in constituencies where both AIP and JeI have fielded candidates, the alliance will engage in a "friendly contest."

The alliance is specifically concerning for the PDP as the Jamaat's support base had historically backed the Muftis' party, with its members voting for the PDP in previous elections.

"Now, with Jamaat aligning with Er Rashid’s party, the PDP’s voter base is likely to be impacted, not only in its stronghold of South Kashmir but also in North and Central Kashmir," a political analyst said.

For NC, the concern is about the possibility of Jamaat fully aligning with Rashid’s party which has strong support in north Kashmir and both parties managing to transfer their votes to others.