Radiance News Service
Hyderabad, Nov. 5, 2023: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) will contest nine Assembly seats in Telangana and extend support to ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in rest of the state.
Elections to the 119-member Assembly are scheduled on November 30.
Like in the past, the party led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi decided to confine itself to few constituencies of Hyderabad.
In addition to the seven seats it currently holds, the party will also contest Rajedra Nagar and Jubilee Hills.
The party decided to drop two sitting legislators and senior leaders Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri and Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, who were elected from Yakutpura and Charminar respectively in the 2018 election.
The party has decided to field Jafar Hussain Meraj from Yakutpura. He was elected from Nampally in the previous election.
Former mayor of Hyderabad, Majid Hussain will contest from Nampally. Another former mayor Mir Zulfeqar Ali will contest from Charminar.
Asaduddin Owaisi’s brother Akberuddin Owaisi will contest once again from Chandrayangutta. Ahmed Balala and Kauser Mohiuddin will seek re-election from Malakpet and Karwan.
The party has not yet announced the candidates for Bahadurpura, Jubilee Hills and Rajendra Nagar constituencies.
MIM’s decision to enter the fray in Jubilee Hills and Rajendra Nagar is seen as an attempt to damage the prospects of Congress candidates. In Jubilee Hills, the Congress party has fielded former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin.
MIM, a friendly party of BRS, had contested eight seats in 2018 but had not fielded a candidate from Jubilee Hills. It contested Jubilee Hills in 2014 and its candidate V. Naveen Yadav finished runners-up.
In Rajendra Nagar, MIM stood at the third position in 2009, 2014 and 2018 elections.
Meanwhile, United Muslim Forum, which comprises various pro-MIM organisations, has declared its support to BRS.
Leaders of various constituents of the UMF met BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao and conveyed their full support to the ruling party. They stated the BRS government worked committedly for the welfare of the minorities in Telangana and also allocated the highest budget for the minorities when compared to other states in the country.
Leaders of Congress party have been accusing Owaisi’s party of helping the BJP through its support to BRS. They describe BRS as ‘A’ team and MIM as ‘B’ team of BJP.
