Political paradox: JEI dominates narrative despite minimal support

KOZHIKODE: Kerala is once again witnessing a striking political paradox. Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI), which does not even account for 1% of the Muslim population in Kerala, is being thrust into the political centre stage though its political arm, Welfare Party of India (WPI), secured only a miniscule vote share (0.12%) in 2025 LSG polls. Despite its negligible numerical strength, JEI and its electoral associations are key to the electoral narrative strategies of Kerala's major fronts and this election cycle is no exception.With WPI extending support to UDF while tactically backing candidates across fronts who are best positioned to defeat BJP in constituencies where the latter may win, the question of JEI's political alignment has reemerged as a key campaign plank for CPM and BJP. CPM has already sharpened its attack on UDF for its alleged proximity to JEI.While CPM frames its opposition as an ideological battle against political Islam, the sustained focus on such a marginal outfit is driven less by ideological clarity and more by electoral calculus, given that JEI had taken pro-CPM positions for nearly two decades till the first Pinarayi Vijayan govt assumed power in 2016.CPM's strategy of amplifying JEI factor in recent elections is aimed at shaping broader political narratives and attempting to tap into the anxieties within sections of the majority community and Christians over JEI's alleged adherence to pan-Islamic ideology and a theocentric political order. In doing so, JEI's core membership ‘rukun' (estimated to be around 3000) and ‘karkun' (a wider support base of less than 20,000) are being provided an outsized presence in Kerala's high-stakes political battleground.CM Pinarayi Vijayan had said that JEI's communal ideologies are similar to those followed by Hindutva outfits. He had called it an Islamist version of RSS and a revivalist organization that is working to create an ‘Islamic world' and added that the majority of Muslims in Kerala, who are Sunnis and Muhajids, do not subscribe to JEI's ideologies. He had also accused opposition leader VD Satheesan of whitewashing JEI by citing remarks made during Nilambur bypoll that it had changed its stance on theocratic state and claimed that IUML was gradually becoming subservient to organizations like JEI. Senior CPM leader AK Balan had recently alleged that if UDF came to power, JEI will control home department.At the same time, analysts said that JEI's influence cannot be measured purely in electoral terms. Historian and political commentator AN Shinas noted that JEI possesses a degree of ‘cultural density' within a section of the Muslim community, functioning as an opinion-making force through its media platforms Madhyamam and MediaOne. He said JEI's ability to shape discourse can generate anti-CPM sentiment that extends beyond its formal cadre base, indirectly influencing wider community perceptions."It is that aspect CPM fears. They fear that JEI's propaganda is being internalized by workers affiliated to other Muslim organizations and can influence people in the community in a significant manner," he said.The present hostility between CPM and JEI marks a departure from a complex past. During most elections since early 2000s, JEI Kerala unit had extended tacit support to LDF. This equation began to unravel after 2016 as JEI recalibrated its political stance, eventually backing UDF in 2019 LS polls saying that Congress was better positioned to counter Sangh Parivar.CPM's electoral setback in 2019 appears to have further hardened its stance, leading to a more systematic campaign against JEI. This included efforts to highlight opposition to JEI's ideology from influential EK, AP Sunni organizations. Both outfits passed resolutions against JEI ideologies at their centenary celebrations. In 2024, CPM passed a resolution at Madurai Party Congress terming JEI as a Muslim fundamentalist and extremist organization.For UDF, the association presents a delicate balancing act. While leaders are aware that any perceived proximity to JEI could alienate sections of Hindu and Christian voters, they think that anti-incumbency sentiments against LDF govt will override such concerns.Ultimately, Kerala's familiar paradox plays out once again. A marginal organization with scant electoral weight continues to draw outsized attention less for its numbers than for the narratives around it.