AIMIM might replace its Yakutpura, Charminar MLAs for Telangana elections

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which is set to regain all its seats in the Old City of Hyderabad, is planning to change two MLAs in the run-up to the Telangana Assembly polls 2023.

The party is likely to drop Yakutpura MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri and Charminar MLA Mumtaz Ahmed Khan from the contest while retaining its other candidates, highly placed sources have said.

Currently, the party, which has a friendly tie-up with the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana, is in the process of finalising its candidates for the Assembly polls in 2023, for which the schedule has been announced by the Election Commission of India.

While the BRS was the first to announce its list of candidates barring four seats, Congress and BJP are struggling to bring consensus among their leaders for the names of the MLA candidates.

Asad, Akbaruddin to take final call on names

AIMIM party national president Asaduddin Owaisi and AIMIM floor leader in the State Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi, will take a call on the list of candidates for the Assembly elections.

The MIM has seven MLAs in Hyderabad City: Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala (Malakpet), Jaffar Hussain (Nampally), Kausar Mohiuddin (Karwan), Mumtaz Ahmed Khan (Charminar), Akbaruddin Owaisi (Chandrayangutta), Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri (Yakutpura) and Mohd. Moazzam Khan (Bahadurpura).

Former mayor might replace Yakutpura MLA

Sources said Yakutpura MLA Syed Pasha Quadri will be replaced by former Hyderabad mayor Mohd. Majid Hussain. Majid Hussain served as Hyderabad city mayor in 2012 and is currently representing Mehdipatnam as a GHMC corporator.

In 2018, Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri won the seat by defeating Sama Sunder Reddy of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now BRS) with a margin of 46,978 votes. Yakutpura Assembly constituency falls under the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Mumtaz Ahmed Khan served six terms

The party plans to replace the 75-year-old Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, representing the Charminar Assembly constituency, since he has served six terms as an MLA.

In 2018, Mumtaz Ahmed Khan won the seat by defeating T Uma Mahendra of the Bharatiya Janata Party with a margin of 32,586 votes. Mohd Ghouse of the Indian National Congress (INC) came third with 16,899 votes and TRS Mohd Salahuddin Lodhi got only 6,223. The Charminar Assembly constituency falls under the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency.

A former protem speaker, Mumtaz Ahmed Khan started his political journey with the Congress party and later joined AIMIM. He won the MLA seat in 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2018.

MIM shapes Old City’s political climate

AIMIM is confident of winning all the sitting Assembly seats. Recently, MIM leader and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi announced in the Assembly that the party may field candidates in other parts of the state too.

However, party sources say that MIM may be confined to Old City and its existing seats.

There has been no competition for the MIM in the Old City of Hyderabad through the years. Though BJP and Congress put up a fight, AIMIM came on top as the winner because a majority of the minorities voted en masse in their constituencies for MIM.

MIM’s daily Janata Darbar popular among residents

AIMIM is a people’s party as many said that the party’s MP, MLAs, MLCs, corporators and other leaders are more accessible than other leaders to all sections of society, including Hindus. The AIMIM leaders are always available to hear people’s grievances either in person or on the phone.

Asaduddin Owaisi conducts Janata Darbar daily at the AIMIM headquarters in Darussalam in Nampally, Hyderabad, where people from all the Assembly constituencies of AIMIM can meet with their MP, MLAs and MLCs and ask for solutions to their civic issues and other grievances.

Tirumala devotees use MIM letters for darshan

Surprisingly, many Hindus take recommendation letters from AIMIM MP, MLAs and MLCs when they go for darshan of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh and also to seek accommodation. “A lot of Hindus in the Old City seek MIM letters when they visit Tirumala. They are our people and voters and we provide them with the letters. This is also how we help our brethren make their pilgrimage to Haj,” says an MIM leader.