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In the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, set to take place after a 10-year hiatus, the political temperature has intensified with the entry of several local leaders previously accused of separatist leanings. Besides the candidates from mainstream parties like the National Conference and PDP, the polls will see Sheikh Rashid Engineer’s Awami Ittehad Party and several independent candidates linked with banned outfit Jamaat-e-Islami.
In 2019, the centre imposed a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami for alleged terrorism and anti-India propaganda, and over the years, many of its leaders were jailed. Talat Majeed, one of its leaders, is contesting the poll as an independent candidate from Pulwama. In this interview, Majeed spoke to Newslaundry about his political ideology, separatism, and the Indian constitution.
