CPI(M) leader Mohd Yousuf Tarigami (R) with late party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.
Credit PTI File Photo
Srinagar: Since 1996, Kulgam assembly segment in south Kashmir has become the Left’s only political bastion in Kashmir and 2024 has been no different.
The CPM leader, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, had won four consecutive assembly elections from Kulgam in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014. However, after the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, a politico-religious organisation, jumped into electoral fray in 2024, it seemed the leftist leader was facing a significant challenge.
However, comrade Yousuf as he is called fondly by his colleagues, not only defeated the Jamaat backed candidate, but secured a huge victory on Tuesday. He secured the highest ever votes (33,634) and his second best margin (7,838 votes).
He bagged 44.86 per cent votes in the assembly, also his second best. The results of 1996 – his first victory from the seat – holds the record of his best margin (16,166 votes) and vote share (69.65 per cent).
Official spokesperson of the now-dissolved People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), 75-year-old Tarigami has been a vocal critic of BJP’s policies in J&K and across the country in the last 10 years.
Born in Tarigami village of Kulgam district in 1949, Tarigami, son of a farmer, started his political career in 1967, when he was still in college. By advocating for farmers’ rights, he stood up to the forcible procurement of rice by the government in the region.
In November 2005, he survived a suicide attack by militants at his official Tulsibagh residence in Srinagar after which he was shifted to highly guarded Gupkar area due to security reasons.
Despite threats and challenges, Tarigami has kept the communist flag alive in the Muslim-majority region due to his “people-friendly politics”.
Haryana Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here
J&K Assembly poll 2024 results| Check constituency results here
Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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