Tag Archives: Asaduddin Owaisi

Meet Imtiaz Jalil, MP from Aurangabad, recipient of the News makers achievers award 2023

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , ,

Aurangabad, MAHARASHTRA:

Receiving the award ( Source: FB)

Imtiaz Jalil,MP, Aurangabad was honoured with the ‘15th News makers Achievers Awards 2023’ in the ‘Best Working Politician’ category on May 1st 2023 at Yashwant Rao Chavan Auditorium, Mumbai. Jalil was conferred with the award at the hands of Afternoon Voice’s founder and Editor in Chief Vaidehi Taman.

The award was bestowed to Imtiaz Jalil in recognition of his significant contribution to Indian politics. He is known for his zealous participation and discussions on development issues of various sectors and is praised for raising issues of the common man in the Parliament.

After receiving this recognition, Twocircles.net had a candid conversation with the Lone MP of AIMIM and found out the reasons behind his successful political journey.

TCN:- Tell us a little about your Background and your journey during journalism.Any takeaway from this field?

IJ: I started my career in journalism in 1991 with Lokmat newspaper in Aurangabad.In 2003 I joined NDTV and worked with them for nearly 12 years in Pune. I quit journalism and came back to my home town Aurangabad In 2014.

I have learnt a lot from journalism – working on ground, interacting with people, understanding their problems etc. Furthermore, there was no pressure from NDTV to submit stories. We had the liberty to report and give our 100%. Communal angles were never highlighted by the Channel. NDTV’s selection of news stories were common-man-friendly.  A farmer’s suicide story was the main highlight of the day which is difficult to find in today’s era of journalism. Now a days journalists aren’t doing journalism; they have their own political ideologies and commercial interests. Unfortunately, it is the marketing sector that is controlling news organisations today.

TCN: –What encouraged you to join politics?

IJ: When I came back to my city, assembly polls were around the corner, and everyone was discussing politics. NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) was keen to field a Muslim candidate from my constituency. And I was thinking, why not?

With the Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde ( Image source: FB of Imtiaz Jalil)

TCN:-What made you choose AIMIM?

IJ:-Muslim representation in the Assembly and Muslim political leadership is a highly debated topic. Congress and NCP were the big political parties that were famous among Muslims but  Muslims started realising gradually that they are being taken for granted. After assessing the situation I decided to choose AIMIM and jumped in the ring with the aim to uplift the Muslim community and Alhamdulillah (thanks to god) I’ve been doing well.

TCN:-What do you attribute your success and popularity to?

IJ:- Allah. I always have had a strong faith and connection with Allah. I used to offer Istakhara too. Allah has been very kind to me because I reached this position without money or muscle power. Alhamdulillah.I am also grateful to people of Aurangabad.

TCN:-What does the award of Best MP of the year mean to you?

IJ:-I was elected as a MLA in 2014 by the people of Aurangabad. I was committed to work for them and give my best. Once again in 2019 my people have sent me to Lok sabha.It was fascinating to see the love and the trust my people had in me. I just had to reciprocate that love.

This is the Best award that I have ever got. It definitely makes me happy more so because an organisation from a different region took note of my contribution and felicitated me.

TCN:-Where do you get inspiration from to do public service?

IJ:– My mother, Mrs. Zakiya. She helped me and inspired me to work for others.

TCN: –Any Specific schemes or projects you initiated for your constituency?

IJ:- There are many. We run an NGO to empower women and youth under the banner of “Yuva Foundation”. We train women in sewing for free so that they can be self reliant. Till date around 3400 women have completed their training and successfully earning their livelihood. We provided training to the youth who wish to get into police forces. We have ambulance services free of cost.

Image from FB

TCN: – A Hospital project was initiated by you some years back, is it becoming a reality?

IJ: – Yes, within a year, a 200 bedded hospital will be functioning, In sha Allah.

I am against constructing statues, because common man is more in need of health facilities than staring at a statue. Govt was considering a statue project in my city but I opposed this and approached High court and filed a PIL (Public interest litigation) and stopped it.

TCN:-On the scale of 1 to 5, how do you rate your contribution to the development of your constituency and in maintaining peace and brotherhood?

IJ:-You need to ask this question to the people of Aurangabad. I must say that people who don’t like my party’s ideology appreciate my work as well. They praise me openly. Besides this development work, maintaining brotherhood is my topmost priority. Despite all odds, I managed to ensure zero communal incidents, unity and harmony between people of all religions. You can observe or read comments of my Hindu brothers and sisters on social media about me and my work.

I strongly believe that 98% of the people are peace lovers. Feeding his family is the priority of a common man. Troublemakers exists in every community. We must ignore fake social media posts.

With Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM president ( Image source: FB of Imtiaz Jalil)

TCN:-What are your plans for the further development of your constituency?

IJ:– Promoting tourism in my historical city Aurangabad and providing employment to the youth. I have contacted a US based IT company on my own and have completed all the formalities. Very soon we are going to have nearly a thousand youth employed in this IT company.

TCN 9: What is your main learning from Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of your party? 

IJ:– I have learnt a lot from him! Working positively without expectations is a remarkable thing. Asad Sahab moves round the clock tirelessly,continuously establishes contacts with people all over the country. He understands their issues and empowers them on appropriate platforms.

TCN :- Apart from politics, what else interests you? How do you rejuvenate yourself when you are overcome by the workload? 

IJ:– I hardly get time for my self. But when I have the time, I listen to music and spend time with my family.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> India News / by Imran Inamdar, TwoCircles.net / May 20th, 2023

AIMIM opens account in Vijayapura Municipal Corporation, wins two seats

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur), KARNATAKA:

 AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (file photo)

Party has fielded its candidates in four out of 35 wards of the corporation

Vijayapura (formerly Bijapur):

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Monday opened its account in Vijayapura (Bijapur) Municipal Corporation by winning two seats. The party candidates Sufiya Abdul Rehaman Vatti and Rizwana Kaisar Hussain Inamdar won from ward numbers 25 and 28 respectively.

In the elections, the party has fielded its candidates in four out of 35 wards of the corporation.

AIMIM to contest alone in Karnataka Assembly polls

Earlier, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi ruled out any possible alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year.

Speaking to reporters, Owaisi said that last time at the request of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supremo K Chandrashekar Rao, the AIMIM did not contest the elections and campaigned for the Janata Dal (S). However, this time it won’t happen like that, Owaisi said.

Impact of AIMIM entry into Karnataka politics

Though AIMIM entry is not likely to have a major impact on Karanataka’s politics, it may divide the vote bank of Congress and JD(S).

As in the Hubbali-Dharwad areas, there are a sizable number of Muslim voters, a few leaders from Congress and JD(S) believe that AIMIM candidates may split the votes.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / posted by Sameer Khan / October 31st, 2022

AIMIM wins Local Polls in Khandwa, plays spoiler for Cong in Burhanpur

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / MADHYA PRADESH :

Making entry in Madhya Pradesh (MP) politics, Asauddin Owaisi’s AIMIM won local elections in Khandwa and played a spoiler for Congress in Burhanpur Mayor Elections 2022

Bhopal : 

Making entry in Madhya Pradesh (MP) politics, Asauddin Owaisi’s AIMIM won local elections in Khandwa and played a spoiler for Congress in Burhanpur Mayor Elections 2022, results of which were announced Sunday.

Khandwa and Burhanpur both have considerable population of Muslims. Khandwa was recently in news for the exodus of migrant labourers for lack of jobs.

The AIMIM candidate, Shakira Bilal, won the election from ward number 14 of the Khandwa Municipal Corporation by defeating her nearest Congress rival Noorjahan Begum by a margin of 285 votes.

Besides fielding its nominee Kaniz Fatima for Khandwa Mayor Election 2022, the AIMIM had fielded candidates in 10 wards of the Khandwa Civic Body that has a total of 50 seats.

Burhanpur Mayor Election Result

In Burhanpur Mayor Elections, AIMIM candidate polled a total of 10,274 votes – a huge number if compared with the margin of 542 votes by which the BJP Mayoral candidate defeated her nearest rival of Congress.

Madhuri Patel got a total of 52,823 whereas Shahnaaz Bano of Congress got 52, 281 votes in Burhanpur Mayor elections 2022.

AAP Debut in MP

Meanwhile, the debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also made its entry in Madhya Pradesh politics after winning mayoral post of Singrauli Municipal Corporation, the district which is filled with coal mining and also called – ‘energy capital of India’.

AAP candidate Rani Agrawal has won the election for mayoral post against BJP’s Chandra Prakash Vishwakarma.

Polling was held for mayoral posts in 11 municipal corporations, including Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Sagar, Satna, Singrauli, Chhindwara, Khandwa, Burhanpur and Ujjain. A total of 101 candidates are fighting for the mayoral posts.

The counting of votes for the second phase of the MP municipal elections will be held on July 20.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India / by Ummid.com with input from Agencies / Jujly 17th, 2022

AIMIM wins 7 seats in Ahmedabad civic body on Gujarat poll debut

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GUJARAT :

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) marked its debut in Gujarat polls by winning seven seats in the civic body of Ahmedabad.

Results of polls to six municipal corporations were declared on Tuesday, and AIMIM, which fielded 22 candidates in six wards, ended up with seven wins in two wards.

In Gujarat, each ward of a municipal corporation has four seats.

While a panel of four candidates won in Jamalpur ward, three out of its four contestants won in Maktampura ward in Juhapura area of the city.

Those who won in Jamalpur included former Congress corporators Mohammad Rafiq Shaikh and Mushtaq Khadiwala, while the third victor, Bina Parmar, was a new face.

The AIMIM did not field candidates in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar, which also witnessed civic polls on February 21 along with Ahmedabad.

Owaisi had addressed a large gathering here as part of AIMIM’s campaign.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Elections> News / by Press Trust of India, Ahmedabad / February 24th, 2021

The BJP does not want Owaisi, the BJP does not need Owaisi

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

The BJP’s aim is to invisibilise Muslims. Owaisi is a challenge to that project.

File photo | AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi | Facebook/Asaduddinowaisi

The Bharatiya Janata Party will do anything it needs to win elections, we are often told.

Yet, there is one thing the BJP does not do, particularly the BJP of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. It rarely ever gives tickets to Muslims . That costs it a few Muslim-dominated seats. If the BJP’s single-minded purpose was to win seats, it would happily give tickets to Muslims.

By giving some representation to Muslims in their ticket distribution, the BJP could, perhaps, have won state elections in Rajasthan, Delhi, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. You can find Muslims who are all too willing to engage with the BJP at a time when the party has a monopoly over winning elections. Like most communities, Muslims don’t mind being on the right side of power.

It is the BJP that does not respond to Muslim aspirations, because there are things the BJP values more than winning elections, such as ideology. In its post-2014 phase, it has been clearer than ever that the BJP’s ideological purpose is to marginalise Muslims to the point of making them invisible. The Muslim must shut up and stay at home. The Muslim must not be MLA, MP, minister or leader. Muslims must not speak or be heard.

What was such a big deal about blocking traffic on a road or two over the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests that it caused riots in Delhi? Was the blocking of a road in east Delhi that nobody was really noticing that big a problem for commuters? That is how unacceptable the Muslim political voice is to the BJP.

The BJP doesn’t want Owaisi

It is facetious to say that the BJP wants Asaduddin Owaisi around in politics. The BJP doesn’t want the Muslim beard or cap. My understanding is that it doesn’t want a Muslim standing up in Parliament — because why should Muslims be present in Parliament of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in the first place?

For the first time in the history of Bihar politics, the treasury benches do not have a single Muslim MLA. The BJP did not give a single ticket to a community that is nearly 17 per cent of Bihar’s population — every sixth citizen. It is the only party that seeks to actively exclude an entire community from the corridors of power. Do you think they enjoy the sight of five MLAs from the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the assembly?

The five seats won by the AIMIM have led to the usual hand-wringing about how Owaisi’s rise is just what the BJP wants. The BJP wants Muslims to vote for a Muslim party just as it wants Hindus to vote for a Hindu party. This is a misreading of the BJP’s agenda. The BJP-RSS have gone out of their way to make secular parties apologetic about seeking Muslim votes. This has been done to silence the voice of the Muslim community in Indian politics and public life. If Indian Muslims now get a voice through Owaisi and the AIMIM, no, that doesn’t serve the BJP’s purpose.

The BJP would rather that Muslims don’t have a vote at all— which is what might be eventually achieved by the ‘chronology’ laws of NPR-NRC-CAA, which could strip many Muslims of citizenship. One look at the attempts in Assam to repeat the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise again and again, flogging a dead horse until it comes alive, shows you how the BJP wants to reduce the number of Muslim voters from the electoral rolls. That’s how the absence of Muslim representation from not just the treasury benches but even the opposition benches might be achieved.

The BJP doesn’t need Owaisi

The BJP does not need Owaisi for polarisation because the BJP has anyway maxed the polarisation game. All that fake news against Muslims — like the Palghar lynching of sadhus immediately blamed on Muslims even though there was no communal angle whatsoever — doesn’t need Owaisi. If anything, Owaisi’s nuanced assertion of constitutional nationalism comes in the way of the BJP leaders and supporters’ efforts to portray the Muslim as the Hindu-hating, Pakistan-loving, cow-slaughtering devil.

The larger misreading here is that the Hindu voter votes only on account of religion. If religious identity was enough, Prime Minister Modi wouldn’t need to sell ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or whatever the latest hollow slogan is. The sort of voter who would vote for the BJP because they are repulsed by Owaisi’s face will anyway vote for the BJP. Owaisi’s presence or absence isn’t going to affect the Hindutva-minded voter’s affinity for the BJP.

Who needs Owaisi? 

If anyone needs Owaisi, it is the Indian Muslim. The Indian Muslims who are being deprived of a voice in public discourse because the ‘secular’ parties who claim to uphold their interests have also gone silent. In fact, they’re going beyond silence to active collaboration with Hindu fundamentalism, if you see the recent actions of Priyanka Gandhi, Kamal Nath, and Arvind Kejriwal.

At such a time, Owaisi is a force for good in Indian politics. He’s not going to become chief minister or prime minister and he knows it. What he will achieve is the creation of some competition for Muslim votes, which will force the ‘secular’ parties to acknowledge that, yes, India has Muslims and they must be treated with the same dignity by all political parties as any other voter.

The author is contributing editor to ThePrint. Views are personal.

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Opinion / by Shivam Vij / November 20th, 2020

Asaddudin Owaisi | The champion of identity politics

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. File   | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

The young Owaisi, who wanted to be a lawyer, had to file his nomination papers to contest the 1994 Andhra Pradesh Assembly election

The year was 1994. Two years after the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, there was turmoil in the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), a party established by Abdul Wahed Owaisi. Members were deserting the AIMIM for not being vocal enough on the demolition of the masjid and there was an outcry that educated Muslims were not coming to join politics.

All eyes were on the 25-year-old Asaddudin Owaisi, Abdul Wahed’s grandson, who had just returned from London after completing a degree in law. “If in the early 1990s, you had told me that I would be contesting elections, I would have said you have gone bonkers,” Mr. Owaisi later said. It was a time when he worked at a denim store on Oxford Street, London, and served meals at McDonald’s to cover the tuition fee.

The young Owaisi, who wanted to be a lawyer, had to file his nomination papers to contest the 1994 Andhra Pradesh Assembly election.

Almost a lifetime since, he had been elected an MLA twice and an MP four times from Hyderabad, a seat that his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi represented six times. He has recast the archetype for Muslim leadership. Does he regret giving up law to be a lawmaker? “Regret…? I don’t know… It is a very subjective thing. I don’t regret things in life, you look at the good side of it and go ahead,” Mr. Owaisi said.

Rebirth of the party

The AIMIM is the reincarnation of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen that opposed Hyderabad’s accession into the Indian union. Once the Hyderabad State was integrated into India, the party was banned and fell into disarray, many of its leaders migrating to Pakistan. Prefixing ‘All India’ to the MIM, Mr. Owaisi’s grandfather resurrected the party. Mr Owaisi doesn’t fail to remind frequently that the AIMIM is a party of those who did not go to Pakistan.

Years later, the same reason that led to Mr. Owaisi’s entry into politics is also a reason for his party’s expansion. The Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), who were wary of engaging with Seemanchal voters on the question of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), left a vacuum into which Mr. Owaisi walked in, winning five seats in the Bihar Assembly election.

In his speeches across Seemanchal, he repeatedly asserted that he was the only one to tear off a copy of the “unconstitutional” CAA inside Parliament. He spoke of the “betrayal” by the RJD and the Congress. He delivers his speech in chaste Urdu, a language that is not exactly alien to his Bihari audience but definitely not conversational. His speeches were peppered with invocations of ‘Allah’. The Muslim identity is firmly in place, with a long sherwani, a skullcap and a moustache-less beard. The speech was delivered at a pace and pitch, similar to the Friday sermons by the clergy.

Broader alliance

However, Mr. Owaisi insists that he is not a “Muslim leader”. In a recent interview to The Hindu, he said: “We are not an exclusive Muslim party. I, Asaddudin Owaisi, am not a Muslim leader. I don’t want to be a Muslim leader, that is not my ambition or objective of my political journey.” The AIMIM has been working on forging an alliance between the Muslims, the Dalits and other backward groups.

Nor does he want his politics to be limited to Hyderabad. The AIMIM expanded in Maharashtra in 2012, winning in the Nanded Municipal Corporation election. The party’s success earned him the moniker of being a “BJP agent”, a long leap from supporting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance during the 2018 no-confidence motion. Mr. Owaisi’s persistent indictment of mainstream parties for taking the ‘Muslim vote’ granted, coupled with the other parties’ attempt to look far more Hindu, has had political dividends for the AIMIM.

“They can call me all they want. It is like water off the duck’s back. During my childhood, RSS workers used to come to our home often, abuse us in an attempt to intimidate me. So, it is part of my growing up years,” he said.

Years ago, Mr. Owaisi may have joined politics unenthusiastically. But on November 10, when the Bihar results came, his 10-year-old son, wearing a similar long sherwani, sat on a chair next to him when he addressed his victory press conference. “He is a child. He wanted to sit with me, so how could I deny him,” Mr. Owaisi said.

He claims he was always an average student. He tries to read, but says that he is a very slow reader and its takes long preparations for him before speaking in Parliament. Despite Hyderabad being his base, Mr. Owaisi doesn’t speak Telugu. He says he has tried many times to study the language with a tutor who used to come to his home in Hyderabad. But politics always overtakes his plans.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Sobhana K Nair / November 15th, 2020

Asaduddin Owaisi’s dream is coming true

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / MAHARASHTRA / BIHAR :

AIMIM is now more than a symbol, challenging the Muslim blackmail of secular parties in polling booths, from west to east.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi at a party outreach programme in Aurangabad | Photo: Twitter | @aimim_national
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi at a party outreach programme in Aurangabad | Photo: Twitter | @aimim_national

I met Asaduddin Owaisi for the first time in Kishanganj, in Bihar’s north-eastern Seemanchal region. I asked him point-blank the question everyone wants to ask him: Are you a BJP agent? He had a logical reply: “Why would I be contesting only a few seats if I was a BJP agent? Wouldn’t the BJP like to cut Muslim votes everywhere?”

Since then, I have paid closer attention to the pattern of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s (AIMIM) electoral attempts. They take a handful of seats, where Muslim voters are in large enough numbers to play a decisive role. They fight these elections to win, and not to help the BJP win. For instance, the AIMIM did not put up a single candidate in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections since the SP and the BSP were putting up a joint fight and the AIMIM candidates would only have helped the BJP.

The idea that the AIMIM is a BJP agent, I was convinced, is a Congress conspiracy theory. For the Congress party and its sycophants, anyone who’s not with them is communal.

But this still didn’t tell me what Owaisi wanted. What was his goal? What was he trying to achieve? If he wasn’t even contesting elections on each seat, or joining any big coalitions, what could he achieve through electoral politics anyway? Muslims in his home state, Telangana, don’t care for the AIMIM outside Hyderabad .  Even in his home state, Owaisi can never dream of becoming the chief minister. The AIMIM won’t be a party of governance any time soon. I wanted the answer to the big question: What does Asaduddin Owaisi want?

What does Owaisi want?

“What I want,” he replied, “is an MLA in every state assembly. Just one is enough. And I want him to stand up in the assembly and ask the secular parties, you took Muslim votes using the BJP to blackmail them. Now how about building roads and schools in Muslim-dominated areas?”

That, I thought, was a laudable goal. Muslim voters often feel they have no choice in elections. They have to vote for a crook from a secular party because the BJP doesn’t even want their votes. The BJP-RSS worker takes a 180-degree turn when s/he reaches a Muslim neighbourhood. In such a scenario, the presence of a Muslim party that threatens the idea of Muslims as a fixed vote-bank of secular parties is a noble one.

This also means Owaisi is not trying to be the “sole spokesperson” for the Indian Muslims, a mischievous term used to describe Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Owaisi is, before anything else, a constitutionalist. Islam is his faith, the Constitution is his ideology. The point he wants to drive home is that the two can go together.

Youth icon

In Kishanganj in 2015, I saw young voters go crazy over Owaisi, like people are about their heroes. It was akin to how great sportspersons inspire hero worship. The phenomenon was explained to me by a Muslim journalist in Aligarh, who said that Owaisi was a product of post-Babri Muslim politics. The fall of the Babri Masjid in 1992 silenced vocal Muslim politicians who used to speak at mainstream public debates as Muslims. It also deepened the idea, almost to finality, that Partition had left no space for a “Muslim party” in Indian politics.

Owaisi challenges all these notions, and finds willing supporters in Muslim youth who were born after 1992. There is thus a generation divide among Muslims in Owaisi’s popularity: the pre-92 generation thinks he’s a bad idea, and the millennials think he’s just what they need. The young feel they don’t have to be apologetic about being Muslims and don’t need to accept second-class status. They think they must assert their rights as equal citizens as per the Indian Constitution, just like any other Indian, and that’s what Owaisi does on their behalf.

Obviously, Muslim votes alone are not going to help the AIMIM win seats. And why would Hindu voters want to vote for a Muslim party?

That’s why this constitutionalism is also part of the AIMIM’s appeal to Ambedkarite Dalits. The AIMIM has thus been trying, with some success, to build a coalition of the marginalised along with Dalits. A Muslim vote-bank gives the AIMIM the ability to transfer votes to a Dalit candidate, for instance. It was such an idea that led to the AIMIM’s alliance  with Prakash Ambedkar in Maharashtra.

And yet, the AIMIM lost the 2015 election in Kishanganj. I saw young voters go up to Owaisi and say – they loved him but they’ll vote for him next time. After all, the Nitish-Lalu-Congress alliance had to be supported to defeat the BJP.

Account opened

The AIMIM had stood a strong third in the Kishanganj Lok Sabha election in 2019. The Congress won the seat  and the JD(U) stood second. Had it not been for the AIMIM, the JD(U), the BJP’s ally, would have won this seat. The only seat that the UPA won and the NDA lost in Bihar was Kishanganj, thanks to the votes cut by the AIMIM.

The Congress candidate was also the sitting MLA, therefore necessitating a bypoll for the Vidhan Sabha seat. Thursday, the AIMIM won that seat . The party has opened its account in Bihar. What’s even better  is that the BJP stood second and the Congress stood third. In the Bihar assembly election in November 2020, Owaisi will be able to say that in Kishanganj it’s AIMIM versus BJP. The impact will be felt in the entire Seemanchal region.

New frontiers

The AIMIM had won two seats in the Maharashtra assembly in 2014, but lost them this time. But it picked up two new seats : Malegaon Central and Dhule City. In other words, the AIMIM has become a regular electoral party, and people are getting used to pressing the AIMIM’s kite symbol on the EVMs. The AIMIM used to be called a one-MP party, but now it has two MPs in the Lok Sabha: Imtiyaz Jaleel won the Aurangabad seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM has 30 seats in various municipal corporations – its party member was elected chairperson of the Dasna municipal council in Ghaziabad. Thursday, the AIMIM candidate in the Pratapgarh assembly bypoll stood third . Owaisi’s dream is coming true: he now has an MLA in Bihar and Maharashtra assemblies and the most important state in Indian politics, Uttar Pradesh, is within striking distance too.

The growing electoral success of the AIMIM is a reminder to secular parties that they cannot take Muslim voters for granted. If apathy or the fear of losing Hindu votes is going to make “secular” parties look away from Muslims, why blame Owaisi?

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Opinion / by Shivam Vij / October 25th, 2019

How a Budding Social Alliance Helped Elect Maharashtra’s First Muslim MP in 15 Years

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , ,

Aurangabad, MAHARASHTRA :

In Aurangabad, Dalits, Muslims and other communities who faced communal violence united to buck the national trend.

Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel is congratulated by supporters. Photo: Facebook
Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel is congratulated by supporters. Photo: Facebook

Aurangabad:

Anyone visiting Aurangabad can sense the brewing emergency in the air. In late April, in the thick of the election, a video  surfaced of a teenager – seemingly a Muslim – who abused prominent personalities of Maharashtra. Rival parties alleged that the video was being distributed by the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), a newcomer to the city’s politics.

Harshvardhan Jadhav, an independent candidate who was formerly with the Shiv Sena, responded with his own video, demanding an apology from the AIMIM and threatening to ransack its offices. Jadhav is also the son-in-law of the state BJP president, Raosaheb Danve.

Imtiaz Jaleel, the AIMIM’s candidate, shared another video  in response, which helped calm the situation. In the video, Jaleel, while appealing for peace, denied all allegations against the AIMIM and urged the police to take strict action against those trying to instigate violence in the city. Jadhav was forced to share another video taking back his threat and apologising to the city police . This timely and sensible intervention both by the police and Imtiaz Jaleel, who represents the alliance of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and AIMIM from the Aurangabad constituency, saved the city from another bout of violence.

On May 23, Imtiaz Jaleel won the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat, becoming the first Muslim MP from Maharashtra in 15 years, and the first Muslim MP from this constituency since the Congress’s Qazi Saleem in 1980.

A new solidarity

During the campaign, the city witnessed a new solidarity, especially between Muslims and Dalit-Bahujans of the city, regularly on display at the party office of MIM at Buddi Lane near Jama Masjid in the old part of the city. In my conversations with supporters of Imtiaz Jaleel, everyone was enthusiastic about the cross-community alliance – and its potential as a watershed moment for the growth of and peace in Aurangabad in the coming years.

With a Muslim population of about 31% and Schedule Caste population of 15.7%, Aurangabad, in the heartland of Marathwada, is a hotbed of communal polarisation. Incessant violence since the 1980s, and the militant politics of the Shiv Sena resulted in a deep segregation of the city on religious and caste lines. The demand to rename Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar has created a more recent spectacle of Hindutva power-politics.

In January 2018, the city was hit by violence after the Bhima-Koregaon clashes . That May, again, two people died and many shops and properties were destroyed in communal violence.

The city seems on the edge of descending into a curfew-like situation. Even on the day of the Lok Sabha election results, offices and shops closed early as rumors of possible violence spread.

Urban local body elections in Aurangabad are essential for control over the city. The first corporation elections in 1988 turned the city into a battleground, and many people died. In 1985, just three years before the elections, the Shiv Sena had inaugurated the party’s city branch. There was full-scale rioting during the municipal elections in 1988 because of the Sena’s anti-Muslim politics. It won 27 of the 60 seats in the first municipal corporation elections of the city. Since then, it has been the main contender. Its dominance has led to deep-fissures in the city’s social fabric.

From the late 1980s, the Shiv Sena would dominate the parliamentary constituency; Chandrakant Khaire held his seat from 1999 to 2014.

MIM’s entry

Imtiaz Jaleel with Asaduddin Owaisi / pic Facebook
Imtiaz Jaleel with Asaduddin Owaisi / pic Facebook

In 2015, AIMIM made its debut in civic body polls. It won 25 of the 113 seats, and emerged as the second-largest party, after the Sena-BJP alliance. In the 2014 Maharashtra assembly elections, the AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel won the Aurangabad Central seat. In later municipal elections, the party worked to consolidate Dalit, Muslim and OBC votes. It has worked in its favor, presenting a secular and accommodative image on the ground.

After last year’s Bhima-Koregaon attacks, many Dalit voters moved away from the Shiv Sena. Four-term MP Chandrakant Khaire lost the citizens’ confidence more generally. His interference in the municipal corporation and zilla parishad had alienated residents, and the city’s garbage and water crisis had become his signature failures. This also contributed to Harshvardhan Jadhav’s split from the Sena-BJP alliance. As a result, this election was a battle between two pro-Hindutva candidates, Jadhav and Khaire. This allowed the MIM-VBA candidate to win by a margin of just 4,492 votes over Khaire.

Post-1980, incessant violence in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Aurangabad has forced Muslims into geographic areas where they are cut-off from the mainstream. This spatial division has made Muslim spaces more vulnerable to violence, and irrelevant and invisible to the larger electoral and cultural politics of the nation.

Since the communal violence of 1988 in Aurangabad, the city has become more segregated everyday due to the capture of the political stage by Hindutva parties. In the absence of a progressive politics to bridge the gaps between the communities, ties could not be rebuilt.

In 2019, however, a new assertion – bringing together Dalits, Muslims and other communities who faced the worst of the violence these last three decades – offered a glimpse of a new politics, and of a city turning from hate and toward assimilation and peace.

Asaf Ali Lone  is an independent researcher. His research interests are urban segregation, marginalities and resistances.

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Politics / by Asif Ali Lone / June 08th, 2019

From a humble party worker to MLA-in-waiting

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Mirza Rahmat Baig
Mirza Rahmat Baig

Once driver and PA to a legislator, Mirza Rahmat Baig is MIM’s Rajendranagar nominee

Mirza Rahmat Baig criss-crosses several localities in the Rajendranagar Assembly segment as part of his paidal daura (canvassing). He is the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)’s candidate from the constituency. As he meets people, some at the doorstep and others passing by, he greets them with the traditional aadaab and says “Mere liye dua kijiye (pray for me)” as he promises to solve their problems once elected.

Speaking to The Hindu, he says, “The jamaat is not new here,” and proceeds to clarify that by jamaat, he means the MIM. “In fact, we have had a strong presence in this constituency for several years. We have always been with the people.”

The 31-year-old claims to have had humble beginnings. It was in 1994 that he first came in contact with the party leadership. Soon, he began to work with the MIM’s Ibrahimbagh primary unit. “After serving in the primary unit, Asad sahab (Asaduddin Owaisi) in 2004 instructed me to work for Charminar MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Qadri. So, I became his driver, and then his personal assistant. I am grateful to Asad sahab for choosing me as a candidate,” he says.

Mr Baig says that the contest in the Assembly segment is between him and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Baddam Bal Reddy. “Our fight has always been with the BJP,” he says.

While that may be the case, Mr Baig claims the constituency is in dire need of developmental work. The primary concerns are potable water and the drainage system. “Places in Narsingi, Sun City and Khizara Colony, among many others, have been facing major water supply issues. Also, drainage issues are seen in Narasareddy Colony and other places.”

He claims the area is in need of government schools, junior and degree colleges and accuses former MLA T. Prakash Goud of doing little there. “I would like to ask the MLA how many new Urdu medium schools have been sanctioned? How many new government schools have been established? There is a lot that needs to be done,” he says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Syed Mohammed / Hyderabad – December 01st, 2018

Owaisi’s AIMIM wins 04 seats, Azmi’s Samajwadi wins 02 in Dhule Municipal Corporation 2018 Polls

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dhule, MAHARASHTRA :

A total of 356 candidates of different parties and independents are in fray for the 74 seats of Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC)

[AIMIM MLA Imtyaz Jaleel addressing an election rally in Dhule. (Photo: @imtiaz_jaleel)]
[AIMIM MLA Imtyaz Jaleel addressing an election rally in Dhule. (Photo: @imtiaz_jaleel)]
Dhule :

Contesting the Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC) elections for the first time, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has won 04 seats, election officers said after counting of votes Monday.

The AIMIM had fielded 11 candidates in the 2018 Dhule elections. Of them 04 candidates have won. 03 AIMIM candidates – Ansari Saeeda M Iqbal, Naziya Bano Nasir Khan Pathan and Saeed Baig Hashim Baig have won from Prabhag 03. The 4th one Mehrunnisa Zakir Shaikh has won from Prabhag 13.

On the other hand, Samajwadi Party (SP) led bu Abu Asim Azmi had fielded 09 candidates. Two of them have won. One of them, Ansari Fatema, was declared unopposed. The other SP who has won the Dhule civic election is Patel Ameen Ab Kareem. He has won from Prabhag 12.

According to trends available at 02:15 pm, the BJP has won 50 seats of the total 74 Dhule Mahanagar Palika.

Congress+NCP alliance is a distant second with lead on 14 seats. Anil Gote’s Loksangram is also leading on 01 seat. Gote, a BJP MLA, is contesting this election on his own. He has projected his wife as Mayor of Dhule.

Dhule Municipal Corporation 2018 Election Result Live Updates

02:00 pm – BJP set to sweep Dhule Municipal Corporation 2018 Elections, leads on 50 seats

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) look set to sweep the Dhule Municipal Corporation 2018 elections where counting of votes is in its final phase.

According to trends available at 02:00 pm, the BJP is leading in 50 seats of the total 74 Dhule Mahanagar Palika.

Congress+NCP alliance is a distant second with lead on 14 seats. Anil Gote’s Loksangram is also leading on 01 seat. Gote, a BJP MLA, is contesting this election on his own. He has projected his wife as Mayor of Dhule.

01:00 pm – BJP consolidates its lead

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), which had taken early lead in Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC), also known as Dhule Mahanagar Palika, has consolidated its lead.

According to trends available at 01:00 pm, the BJP is leading on 38 seats. Congress+NCP alliance leads on 18 seats. Anil Gote’s Loksangram is also leading on 03 seat. Gote, a BJP MLA, is contesting this election on his own. He has projected his wife as Mayor of Dhule.

Shiv Sena is leading on 07 seats. Others are ahead on 01. Samajwadi Party (SP) has already won 01 seat. Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and Raj Thackeray’s MNS have so far not leading on any seat.

11:30 am – BJP:31, Cong+NCP:28, Lok Sangram:03, Sena:03

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) takes early lead in Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC), also known as Dhule Mahanagar Palika, elections where counting of votes to elect a new body is underway.

According to trends available at 11:30 am, the BJP is leading on 31 seats. Congress+NCP alliance leads on 28 seats. Anil Gote’s Loksangram is also leading on 03 seat. Gote, a BJP MLA, is contesting this election on his own. He has projected his wife as Mayor of Dhule.

Shiv Sena is leading on 03 seats. Others are ahead on 01. Samajwadi Party (SP) has already won 01 seat. Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and Raj Thackeray’s MNS have so far not leading on any seat.

10:00 am – Counting of votes begins

Counting of votes in Dhule where polling to elect new body of the Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC), also known as Dhule Mahanagar Palika, started at 10:00 am today i.e. Monday December 10, 2018.

Poll officers said counting of votes in Dhule started with counting of Postal Ballots. This will follow counting of votes registered in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

07:15 am – Counting of votes to begin at 10 am

Counting of votes in Dhule where polling to elect new body of the Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC), also known as Dhule Mahanagar Palika, was held on Sunday will start today i.e. Monday December 10, 2018 at 10:00 am, State Election Commission officials said.

Poll officers said counting of votes will start in Dhule to count votes in 19 prabhags comprising of 73 members. The process will start with counting of Postal Ballots, if any. After this, votes registered in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be counted. Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMS) has a total of 74 members. In Ward 12A, Samajwadi Party Candidate Ansari Fatema has been declared elected unopposed.

Voting for the remaining wards were held on Sunday December 09, 2018. According to the election commission officials, Dhule recored around 60% voting in the 2018 December Civic Elections. Poll percentage in 2013 Dhule Local Body election was 61%.

A total of 356 candidates of different parties and independents are in fray for the 74 seats of Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC). Of them 82 candidates are Muslims who are contesting the elections in 08 Prabhags dominated by the members of the community.

Among the 82 Muslims contesting the Dhule Mahanagar Palika Chunav, Congress-NCP alliance has fielded 17 candidates, Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded 09, Rashtriya Samaj Paksh has given its tickets to 11, Shiv Sena has given its tickets to 03 Muslims, BJP has given tickets to 02 Muslims whereas the Muslim League and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) have fielded 01 Muslim candidate each on their party symbol.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) of Asaduddin Owaisi is contesting the Dhule Municipal Corporation, also known as Dhule Maha Nagar Palika, election for the first time. It has fielded 11 candidates in the 2018 Dhule civic elections. The AIMIM had earlier won elections in the neighbouring Shahada local body election.

Besides the candidates from the mainstream and prominent regional parties, as many as 26 Muslims are contesting the Dhule local body polls as independents.

The Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC) has a population of 4,46,094 and total number of voters are 3,29,596. More than 700 candidates had filed nomination papers for the 2018 Dhule civic election. Last date of withdrawal was November 26. After withdrawal of about half the candidates, 356 candidates finally contested the election.

In 2013, Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC) election was held on Decemver 15, 2013 for 35 wards to elect a total of 70 councillors – two each from a ward.

As per the Dhule Municipal Corporation 2013 results, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won 34 seats in the 70-member house. Shiv-Sena won 11 seats. Its alliance partner BJP won just 03 seats whereas the Congress party won 07 seats. On the other hand, the Loksangram Party of local MLA Anil Gote could win just 01 seat.

The Independents had won on 10 seats whereas the Bahujan Samaj Party had won on 01 seat. The Samajwadi Party, which fought the election for the first time from Dhule had won 03 seats in the 2013 Dhule Municipal Corporation (DMC) elections. A total of 16 Muslims belonging to the NCP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and independents had won in the 2013 Dhule Municipal Corporation election.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India / ummid.com news network / December 10th, 2018