Kerala - Kozhikode   

Jamaat to support LDF in 18 seats

Kozhikode: The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has decided to back the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates in 18 out of the 20 constituencies in the State for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The organisation would support E.T. Mohammed Basheer, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) nominee at Ponnani, and M.I. Shanavas, Congress candidate at Wayanad, in the remaining two seats, Jamaat Amir, Kerala, T. Arifali, assistant Amirs Sheikh Mohammed Karakunnu and M.I. Abdul Aziz, and Hameed Vanimel, political secretary, told presspersons here on Thursday.

The office-bearers said the policy of the Jamaat was that Muslims needed to get more representation in Parliament. The support given to the CPI(M) for this election was on the basis of the issues that party had taken up, especially espousing the cause of Muslims. The party had taken a strong stand against the U.S. imperialism and firmly objected to India signing the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal.

Replying to queries, Mr. Arifali said the Jamaat decided to support Mr. Basheer because the CPI(M) had intervened in dividing the Sunni sections of the Muslim community in the run-up to the seat sharing of LDF candidate at Ponnani. The organisation decided to support Mr. Shanavas in view of the fact that he was a strong contender to take up the cause of Muslim community in Parliament. Asked why the organisation did not support Shahida Kamal, a woman and Muslim candidate of the Congress party at Kasaragod constituency, the Jamaat leader said the CPI(M) candidate in Kasaragod had a chance of winning from there apart from trouncing the BJP candidate in one of its strongholds.The Jamaat would not work for any candidates but would carry out campaigns to defeat Shashi Tharoor, Congress nominee in Thiruvananthapuram, and K.V. Thomas, Congress candidate in the Ernakulam constituency. Both of them were advocates of the imperialistic policy, he said.

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