Quicksplained: Who is Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, the CPI(M) leader who keeps winning in Kashmir?

The Jammu-Kashmir elections are done and dusted with the National Conference and Congress scoring a big win in the Union Territory.

Amid all the results, Kashmir’s lone Communist leader, who has been winning from the Kulgam seat in Jammu and Kashmir since 1996, has won again for the fifth time in a row. Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist), defeated Sayyar Ahmad Reshi, backed by the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, by a margin of 7,838 votes, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Of the 49 seats, the National Conference won 42, a massive jump from 15 seats in 2014. The Congress, however, saw a decline, winning only six seats compared to 12 in 2014, and managing just one seat in Jammu, marking its worst-ever performance in the region.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) increased its overall tally from 25 in 2014 to 29. In Kashmir, the National Conference swept 35 of the 47 seats, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered a major setback, winning only three constituencies, its lowest tally ever.

The major highlight of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls is the resurgence of the National Conference as well as the Abdullah family. However, an equally big development is in the Kulgam constituency, where Tarigami defeated a candidate backed by the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami.

Here’s all you need to know about Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami

1. Tarigami secured 33,634 votes, while his nearest rival, Reshi, who was contesting for the first time, received 25,796 votes. Tarigami was backed by the National Conference (NC), which did not field a candidate in Kulgam. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mohd Amin Dar, finished third.

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2. During his election campaign, Tarigami pointed out the development work carried out by him for the constituency since 1996. “I will not talk about development. What would I talk about? It is all before you… You can judge me on that,” he told the people during a campaign in Taki village, according to The Indian Express.

3. A member of the CPI(M) central committee, Tarigami has previously represented the Kulgam seat in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014. He also serves as the convener of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a coalition of Jammu and Kashmir parties advocating for regional autonomy and the restoration of Article 370.

4. Tarigami was born into a farmer’s family in 1949. At the age of 18, he was drawn to the Communist ideology. Along with his friend Ghulam Nabi Malik, he led a protest to raise the intake capacity at Anantnag Degree College.

5. Tarigami’s “socialist fight” began during his college years. Whether it was leading protests at Degree College Khanabal over a bus fare hike or rallying against a student fee increase, his college days were defined by activism.

6. He participated in various farmer movements in Jammu and Kashmir. In 1967, he was imprisoned for leading a farmers’ protest against the forced procurement of rice. He was imprisoned again in 1975 for advocating the right to self-determination for Kashmiris, The Week reported. His wife passed away while he was in jail.

7. Tarigami’s campaign in this election was carefully strategic. He focused on areas like Yaripora, where he attended school, and Hum village, where two of his workers — both teachers — were killed by gunmen during the 1990s, Outlook reported. He also campaigned in Pandithpora, where he has family ties, along with Madibugh, Zeban, Mathipora, and Kader villages.

8. Interestingly, “Tarigami” is the name of the village in Kulgam district where Mohammad Yousuf was born. During a media interaction, when asked about Yousuf’s arrest, the then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah referred to him as “Woh Jo Tarigam Wala” (the one from Tarigam).

9. During the 1990s, Tarigami faced threats for holding the Tricolour in Kashmir. In 1989, gunmen came to his home in Kulgam, and he narrowly escaped by jumping from the second storey. Forced to seek refuge in Jammu, he resumed his work despite repeated threats. Later, in 2006, his nephew Gulzar Ahmed Rather was killed by gunmen, and in 2016, his residence in Kulgam was attacked once again, according to Outlook.

10. Experts believe a lack of strong competition allowed Tarigami to thrive in the constituency. Election boycotts announced by separatists in previous Assembly elections, which kept Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) away, also contributed to his success, according to the media outlet.

With inputs from agencies