India, Jan. 29 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has recognised the Justice and Development Front (JDF) as a political party. The move provides a legal platform for the former cadre of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), marking a formal end of their three-decade-long election boycott and return to the constitutional mainstream.

The JDF emerged during the 2024 assembly elections when several prominent figures associated with the JeI contested as independents, following the 2019 ban on the socio-religious organisation over alleged militant links. While the group did not secure a seat in the assembly, its candidates, particularly Sayyar Ahmad Reshi in Kulgam and Talat Majid in Pulwama, drew significant vote shares in south Kashmir, s...