Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami

Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami is the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and four-time MLA from the Kulgam constituency. He is also the convenor and spokesperson of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD). After losing two back-to-back elections from Kulgam in 1983 and 1987, Tarigami went on to win four consecutive elections in 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014. In the 1996 Jammu and Kashmir polls, Tarigami represented the Kulagam constituency in the Assembly for the first time by defeating Janata Dal (JD) candidate Habibullah Laway with a margin of 16,166 votes. Tarigami won the 2002 polls by defeating Jammu and Kashmir National Conference's (JKNC) Ghulam Nabi Dar and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) candidate Mohd Yousf Lone. In the 2008 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections, Tarigami retained the seat again against Nazir Ahmad Laway (JKPDP), with a winning margin dropping to just 236 votes. Tarigami won the seat in 2014 again with a margin of just 334 votes. The CPM leader is again contesting from Kulgam in the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections against JKPDP's Mohammad Amin Dar, Jammu and Kashmir People Conference (JKPC) candidate Nazir Ahmad Laway, and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party's (JKAP) Mohammad Aaqib Dar.