Tag Archives: Asaduddin Owaisi

Four policemen killed in militant attack in Kashmir’s Shopian

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

Shopian District, South Kashmir, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Police officers said that the policemen who were killed were guarding a minority picket, meant for security of a few Kashmiri pandit families in Zainapora area of Shopian.

Three policemen were killed by militants in Shopian on Tuesday. (File photo)
Three policemen were killed by militants in Shopian on Tuesday. (File photo)

Four Jammu and Kashmir policemen were killed in a militant attack on a police picket in South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday. The attack was the first one by militants in the Valley after they suffered several blows in multiple encounters over the last one month in South Kashmir.

Police officers said that the policemen who were killed were guarding a minority picket, meant for security of a few Kashmiri pandit families in Zainapora area of Shopian. Four weapons belonging to the policemen were also taken by the militants after the attack, officials said. The four policemen have been identified as Abdul Majeed, Mehraj-ud-din, Anees and Hameed-ul-lah.

Majeed was a selection grade constable and a resident of Gandebal district, Mehraj-ud-din was a resident of Bandipora district in North Kashmir, while as Anees and Hameed-ul-lah were residents of Kulgam and Anantnag districts of South Kashmir respectively, officials said.

“We pay rich tributes to our colleagues Abdul Majeed, Mehraj-ud-din, Anees and Hameed-ul-lah who were #martyred in a #terror attack at #Shopian today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families at this juncture. RIP,” the state police tweeted.

Shopian district has witnessed a spurt in violence in the last one month. Apart from multiple encounters between security forces and militants, over a dozen civilians were abducted from South Kashmir villages by militants and two of them were killed on suspicion of being informers. The state police has recently claimed that they eliminated the top militant leadership in South Kashmir.

About the militant attack on Tuesday, police sources told The Indian Express that a group of militants entered the guard post of the minority picket. The militants fired indiscriminately, killing three policemen on the spot and injuring one. The injured policeman succumbed on way to the hospital, a senior police officer said.

After the attack on Tuesday, militants also posted pictures of the weapons taken by them from the police picket.

Senior state police officers, however, told The Indian Express that they are verifying the pictures that have appeared on social media. A senior police officer in Shopian said that they suspect JeM militants for the attack.

The mainstream political parties in the Valley condemned the killing.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said, “State has been at the receiving end with deaths, whether of a civilian, a policeman or a militant, becoming order of the day over the past three decades.”

Former CM Mehbooba Mufti tweeted, “Strongly condemn attack on policemen in Shopian claiming 3 precious lives…. Solidarity with families of jawans .Relieved that no harm caused to any civilians in the minority pocket they guarded.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by Adil Akhzer / Srinagar – December 12th, 2018

Haji Halim Khan of Shiv Sena wins 2017 Mumbai civic elections

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Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

HajiHalimKhanMPOs27sept2018

Mumbai:

Mohammad Halim Khan, a Muslim candidate of Shiv Sena, has won the municipal corporation elections in Mumbai where counting of votes to elect the new body of 227-member Mahanagar Palika is still under way.

Haji Halim Khan won the 2017 BMC elections from Ward No 96.

Shiv Sena and BJP – two right wing Hindu parties are not known for having Muslims as party members.

Meanwhile, the ruling Shiv Sena is set to better its 2012 performance of 75 corporators as counting of votes still continues in Mumbai. According to trends available at 03:30 pm, the Sena which broke its allinace with the BJP and decided to contest the BMC election alonse, is leading in 84 wards.

The BJP is ahead of its rivals in 80 wards. Congress candidates are ahead in 30 wards, whereas the NCP has taken lead in 08 and MNS in 07 wards.

The AIMIM has won in 03 wards so far whereas the Samajwadi Party (SP) has won 04 seats.

These are just trends. Final results are still awaited.

Live Update:
02:30 PM The ruling Shiv Sena is set to better its 2012 performance of 75 corporators as counting of votes still continues in Mumbai. According to trends available at 02: 30 pm, the Sena which broke its allinace with the BJP and decided to contest the BMC election alonse, is leading in 93 wards.

The BJP is ahead of its rivals in 73 wards. Congress candidates are ahead in 22 wards, whereas the NCP has taken lead in 07 and MNS in 07 wards.

The AIMIM has won in 03 wards so far whereas the Samajwadi Party (SP) has won 04 seats.

02:00 PM Rais Shaikh and Akhtar Qureshi of the Samajwadi Party (SP) have won the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections held on February 21, according to the results announced by the State Election Commission today afternoon.

Rais Shaikh, the house leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Member of Standing Committee in the last body, had won the best corporator award.

“Thanks for your faith in me, it’s a privilege to serve you all. Will continue doing it”, Rais Shaikh tweeted after the victory.

Rais Shaikh won the election from Madanpura/Nagpada area in Mumbai Central area. He defaeted his nearest rival by over 4,000 votes.

01:00 PM The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) registered its first victory in the cash-rich Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections after the party candidate Waqarunnisa Ansari defeated her rivals by a comfortable margin.

Waqarunnisa Ansari, a corporator since last twenty years, had joined the AIMIM after she was denied the ticket by the Congress party.

Waqarunnisa Ansari has won the BMC election from Ward No. 223 Umerkhadi.

There are also reports that the AIMIM is also leading on one other seat.

Elsewhere in the city, Ruskhsana Siddiquee and Saira Fahad Azmi, both the candidates of Samajwadi Party (SP) led by Abu Asim Azmi in Maharashtra, have won the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in their respective wards.

While Rukhsana Siddiquee has won the BMC 2017 election from Ward No. 136, Saira Fahad Azmi defeated her rivals in Ward No 134, according to the results declared by the State Election Commission today afternoon.

Meanwhile, the ruling Shiv Sena has bettered its 2012 performance of 85 seats by leading in 85 wards of Mumbai.

The BJP is leading in 52 wards, the Congress in 18, MNS in 10 and NCP in 03 wards. The AIMIM is yet to open its account in Mumbai, according to trends at 01:00 pm.

12:30 PM Ruskhsana Siddiquee and Saira Fahad Azmi, both the candidates of Samajwadi Party (SP) led by Abu Asim Azmi in Maharashtra, have won the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in their respective wards.

While Rukhsana Siddiquee has won the BMC 2017 election from Ward No. 136, Saira Fahad Azmi defeated her rivals in Ward No 134, according to the results declared by the State Election Commission today afternoon.

Meanwhile, the ruling Shiv Sena has bettered its 2012 performance of 75 seats by leading in 85 wards of Mumbai.

The BJP is leading in 53 wards, the Congress in 19, MNS in 10 and NCP in 05 wards. The AIMIM is yet to open its account in Mumbai.

11:45 AM The ruling Shiv Sena is heading for a thumping victory in Mumbai. According to trends available at 11: 45 am, the Sena which broke its allinace with the BJP and decided to contest the BMC election alonse, is leading on 72 seats.

The BJP is ahead of its rivals on 40 seatss. Congress’ candidates are ahead on 14 seats, whereas the NCP has taken the lead in 05 and MNS in 08 wards. The AIMIM, SP and others are leaders in 04 wards.

Shiv Sena’s performance in Mumbai poll battle is way better than the party fared in 2012 elections. Shiv Sena had won 75 seats. However, Shiv Sena’s final tally in this round of polls is expected to exceed the previous figures of 75.

11:00 AM The ruling Shiv Sena is heading for a thumoing victory in Mumbai. Aaccording to trends available at 11: 00 am, the Sena which broke its allinace with the BJP and decided to contest the BMC election alonse, is leading in 45 wards.

The BJP is ahead of its rivals in 28 wards. Congress’ candidates are ahead on 07 seats, whereas the NCP has taken the lead in 2. MNS leads in 02 wards. The AIMIM, SP and others are yet to open account.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena workers have gathered in several parts of Mumbai and Thane. The party workers have begun the celebration. As per the early trends, Shiv Sena appears to be making huge leap in the electoral battle.

10:40 AM The Counting of votes in Mumbai to elect the new body of the Mumbai Maha Nagar Palika (BMC) began Thursday morning at around 10:00 am. According to trends available at 10: 40 am, Shiv Sena is leading in 07 wards whereas the BJP is ahead of its rivals in 03 wards.

These are just trends. Final results are still awaited.

10:15 AM The Counting of votes in Mumbai to elect the new body of the Mumbai Maha Nagar Palika (BMC) began Thursday morning at around 10:00 am. The process began with counting of postal votes.

After counting of postal votes are over, the round wise counting of different Municipal wards will begin, election officials said.

Trends and results are expected to start coming by 11:00 am

09:00 AM Counting of votes to elect the new body of 227-member cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is scheduled to begin today i.e. Thursday February 23, 2017 at 10:00 am, an election officer said. India’s commercial hub Mumbai went to polls on Tuesday, recording 55.28 per cent voter turnout – highest in recent years.

Along with Mumbai, 09 other Municipal Corporations also went to the poll on Tuesday. Counting of votes in all these civic bodies including Nashik, Pune, Nagpur, Thane and Akola will start at 10:00 am today, the election officer added.

In Mumbai, the main parties in the fray are the ruling Shiv Sena, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

About 2,275 candidates contested the bitterly fought elections.Over 92 lakh voters exercised their democratic rights.

While overall turnout for the BMC election was nearly 10 percentage points up from the last time, in 52 of the total 227 electoral wards, more than 60% of voters exercised their franchise. That’s nearly two of every three registered voters.

BJP and its bickering ally in the state government Shiv Sena, who could not form an alliance for the civic poll in the megapolis or elsewhere this time, fought keenly, lashing out freely at each other during the bitter campaign.

Surge in voting occurred in two suburban clusters, the stretch comprising Bhandup, Mulund, Vikhroli and Ghatkopar in the eastern suburbs, and the areas comprising Jogeshwari, Dindoshi, Malad, Kandivli, Borivli, Gorai and Dahisar in the west.

Overall, though turnout was high in pure percentage terms, the absolute number of voters rose by less than 5 lakh.This is because the electoral list shrunk due to roll revisions after deletion of names for various reasons.

As per the existing position, Shiv Sena has 75 – maximum number of corporators and ruling the Mumbai Mahanagar Palika in alliance with the BJP which has 31 members.

Congress has a total of 52 members, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has 13 members and others including Abu Asim Azmi led Samajwadi Party (SP) and independents have a total of 28 members.

The AIMIM currently has no member in Mumbai, as the Owaisi led Hyderabad based party is contesting the Mumbai BMC Elections for the first time.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray are sailing in the same boat over the outcome of the crucial elections to the BMC.

In the event BJP fails to secure a clear majority, Fadnavis will be in trouble though he has declared that the outcome of the polls will not be a referendum on his two-year-old government.

Thackeray has made the election a prestige issue as it is for the first time in the recent past that the Shiv Sena has been challenged in the BMC polls. Sena has directly controlled the BMC since 1997.

Ever since Sena unilaterally terminated the alliance with BJP, Fadnavis embarked on an aggressive campaign against it, saying, it was alone responsible for the corruption and irregularities in BMC. Fadnavis alleged that the Sena was collecting `haftas’ from BMC contractors, and as a result, the quality of work was poor.

He addressed more than 22 election meetings and BJP put up well over 1,000 banners and hoardings across the metropolis, depicting Fadnavis as the posterboy of BJP.

“We have exposed the Sena’s corruption in BMC. We established that the quality of services in Mumbai was poor. BJP expects a clear majo rity. The mandate will be in our favour, we will not require a post-poll alliance,“ Fadnavis had told ToI a week ago.

Uddhav too did not lag behind in his aggressive campaign against BJP, particularly PM Narendra Modi and Fadnavis.

“The CM is presiding over a cabinet of goons,“ he observed.Thackeray and his son Aaditya concentrated on Mumbai to ensure that the Sena does not lose control over BMC.

Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam predicted a hung corporation.

“Congress will improve its performance. After the BMC polls, Sena and BJP will come together,“ Nirupam said. Nirupam said in the event BJP fails to secure a clear majority , it will be a verdict against the CM, since he had personally led the campaign against the Sena.

“The CM will have to accept the verdict and then decide,“ he said.

According to an NCP leader, if Sena secures a clear majority , Thackeray will not hesitate to pull out of the government.

The AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi and Samajwadi Party led by Abu Asim Azmi too are optimistic about the results.

“High voter turnout was in our favour. We are confident of winning at least 15-20 seats in Mumbai”, AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan said.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Regional / by ummid.com Staff Reporter / February 23rd, 2017

Owaisi’s AIMIM wins 03 seats in Jalgaon Municipal 2018 polls while Cong, NCP draw blank

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Jalgaon, MAHARASHTRA :

OwaisiMPOs13aug2018

Jalgaon Municipal Corporation Election Results Live: 

In a surprising comeback after recent defeats in Nanded Municipal Corporation and other elections, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 03 seats in Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) 2018 elections results of which were declared today afternoon.

AIMIM’s victory in 2018 Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections is significant as the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) have completely wiped off from the Jalgaon civic body while Shiv Sena somehow won just 15 seats.

It was the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Tsunami in Jalgaon which ended more than 40 years dominance of Sureshdada Jain. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) which had just 15 members in the last boday has come out with a spectacular performance by winning 57 of the total 75 seats of Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC).

Besides AIMIM which had fielded Muslims in the areas dominated by Muslims, the BJP had also fielded Muslim candidates in these areas for the 2018 Jalgaon elections. With some of the Muslims winning the 2018 Jalgaon elections on BJP tickets, the number of Muslims in Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) is bound to improve.

In the run-up to the Jalgaon Elections, AIMIM MLAs Imtiyaz Jaleel and Waris Pathan had camped in the city while Asaduddin Owaisi addressed rallies in the last leg of campaigning. As usual Asaduddin Owaisi’s election rallies in Jalgaon attracted good crowd which has also converted in votes.

The AIMIM had fielded 06 candidates in Jalgaon. Out of them 03 have won. They are Bagban Riyaz Ahmed Abdul Kareem, Deshmukh Sunnabi Raju and Shaikh Syeda Yusuf.

Live Updates

02:45 pm The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) which had just 15 members in the last boday has come out with a spectacular performance by leading in 57 of the total 75 seats of Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) where counting of votes for the 2018 local body elections is still underway.

The BJP led by Girish Mahajan and Shiv Sena led by Sureshdada Jain have formed a pre-poll alliance for the 2018 Jalgaon elections. Trends at 02:45 pm showed the BJP leading in 57 seats whereas its alliance partner Shiv Sena is ahead in 15 seats. Others are leading in the remaining 03 seats.

Facing a humiliating defeat in the elections, none of the Congres, NCP, SP and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM candidates are in the race anywhere in the city.

12:00 pm The BJP led by Girish Mahajan and Shiv Sena led by Sureshdada Jain have formed a pre-poll alliance for the 2018 Jalgaon elections. Trends at 12:00 pm showed the BJP leading in 57 seats whereas its alliance partner Shiv Sena is ahead in 14 seats.

11:30 am The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena are heading for a landslide victory in Jalgaon where counting of votes for 2018 Jalgaon Municipal elections is still underway.

The BJP led by Girish Mahajan and Shiv Sena led by Sureshdada Jain have formed a pre-poll alliance for the 2018 Jalgaon elections. Trends at 11:30 am showed the BJP leading in 31 seats whereas its alliance partner Shiv Sena is ahead in 23 seats.

10:45 am The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena are leading in 03 seats each in Jalgaon where counting of votes for the 2018 Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections is still underway.

10:10 am Counting of votes in Jalgaon where polling to elect new body of the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) was held on Wednesday has started today morning at 10:00 am amid tight security.

Poll officers had earlier said that counting of votes will be done in Jalgaon to count votes in 19 prabhags comprising of 75 members. The process started with counting of Postal Ballots, if any. After this, votes registered in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being counted.

08:45 am Counting of votes in Jalgaon where polling to elect new body of the Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) was held on Wednesday will start today i.e. Friday August 03, 2018 at 10:00 am, State Election Commission officials said.

Poll officers said counting of votes will start in Jalgaon to count votes in 19 prabhags comprising of 75 members. The process will start with counting of Postal Ballots, if any. After this, votes registered in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be counted.

08:00 am Voting ended on Wednesday August 01 in Jalgaon which registered a polling percentage of somewhere near 57 percent, election officials said adding that the actual figure is yet to be calculated.

Polling was held on Wednesday in 19 prabhags of 75-member Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) in North Maharashtra. Last time the city had registered 63 per cent voting, an official said. TheJalgaon Civic Body is currently ruled by Khandesh Vikas Aghadi.

In the 2018 Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections, Surshdada Jain’s Khandesh Vikas Aghadi has formed an alliance with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Jain is contesting the 2018 Jalgaon Municipal electiosn on Shiv Sena symbol.

The BJP, which is ruling in Maharashtra, is contesting the Jalgaon Maha Nagar Palika elections 2018 under the leadership of Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan instead of Eknath Khadse. Jalgaon is the stronghold of Khadse. But he was asked to resign from the Fadnavis cabinet after allegations of graft. Since then his relationship with the BJP leadership is not in good terms.

Besides, BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, Assaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is also contesting Jalgaon Municipal Election 2018. AIMIM Cheif Asaduddin Owaisi and party MLAs Imtiyaz Jaleel and Waris Pathan have extensively campaigned for the AIMIM candidadtes. The AIMIM has fielded 06 candidates in mostly Muslim pockets of Jalgaon.

Samajwadi Party (SP) of Abu Asim Azmi which could not win any seat in the last election has again fielded its candidate in the 2018 polls. The SP candidates are contesting in 06 wards of the city.

While Congress and NCP have formed pre-poll alliance, AIMIM and SP are contesting the Jalgaon local body election separately.

According to the State Election Commission, a total of 303 candidates from different parties, including a good number of independents, are contesting the 2018 Jalgaon Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections. There are 3,65,072 registered voters in Jalgaon.

Khandesh Vikas Aghadi of local stalwart Sureshdada Jain had won 33 seats in the Septmber 2013 elections. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) had won 15 seats, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had won 12 seats and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had won 11 seats. The Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) had also contested the last election. But they could not win any seat.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India / by Ummid.com News Network / August 03rd, 2018

Bihar Elections: 24 Muslim candidates win as AIMIM draws a blank

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BIHAR :

Bihar :

The Mahagathbandhan (Garden Alliance) of JDU, RJD and Congress, led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar romped into a landslide victory in Bihar, paving way for Nitish Kumar’s third stint as the Chief Minister.

The Bihar elections result has dealt a huge blow to BJP, who were upbeat since 2014 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent wins in some states. The Mahagathbandhan bagged almost a three-fourths majority, riding on the support of Yadav and Muslim voters.

courtesy: indian express
courtesy: indian express

The Muslim candidates of the Grand Alliance managed to win 24 seats with 12 from RJD, six from Congress, five from JDU and one from CPI (ML). The number is five more than the last assembly elections, when 19 Muslims candidates were selected in the state Assembly.

All India Majlees-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the Hyderabad-based political party ended up winning nothing in its Bihar debut.

AIMIM fielded six candidates from Muslim-dominated constituencies in Seemanchal region but lost all the seats. Party chief Asaduddin Owaisi was very optimistic of opening an account in Bihar assembly camping in the area for a couple of weeks and campaigning door to door.

Owaisi had cautiously chosen only six seats fearing that if MIM fights on more seats and votes get divided then he will be tagged with ‘vote katwa’ for secular votes. However, nothing like happened.

MIM earned 80,248 total votes, constituting 0.2% of total votes in the election. The best performance was put forward by Akhtarul Imaan from Kochadhaman constituency where he stood second and lost to JD (U)’s Mujahid Alam with 18,843 votes. Imaan is MIM’s party chief in Bihar who was also a former member of Bihar assembly. He was earlier with the JDU and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Another candidate, Tasiruddin, earned 16,440 votes from Kishanganj and stood third, though he lagged by more than 40,000 votes when compared with BJP’s Sweety Singh, who came second to Dr. Muhammad Jawaid, who won with a margin of nearly 9,000 votes.

Ghulam Sarwar from Baisi constituency settled at fourth with only 16,723 votes. Remaining three of its candidates – Md Nawazish Alam (Armour), Mohammed Adil Hasan (Balrampur) and a non-Muslim face from SC seat of Raniganj Dr. Amit Kumar lost their deposits.

List of 24 Muslim Candidates who won in Bihar Assembly Elections 2015 :

Abdul Bari siddiqui (RJD, Ali Nagar)
Abdul Jaleel Mastan (Congress, Amour)
Abid ur Rehman (Congress, Arriah )
Mohd Nawaz Alam (RJD, Arra)
Tausif Alam (Congress, Bahadu Ganj)
Abdul Subhan (RJD, Basai)
Mahboob Alam (CPI ML, Balrampur)
Nematullah (RJD, Baruli )
Fayaz Alam (RJD, Bisfi )
Mohd Ilyas Hussain (RJD, Dehri )
Faisal ur Rehman (RJD, Dhaka )
Sarfaraz Alam(JDU, Jokihat )
Shakeel Ahmed Khan (Congress, Kadwa )
Afaq alam (Congress,Kasba)
Faraz Fatimi (RJD, Keoti)
Mohd Javed Alam (Congress, Kishan ganj )
Mujahid Alam (JDU, Kochadhaman)
Abdul Ghafoor (RJD, Mahisi)
Shamim Ahmed (RJD, Narkatia )
Akhtarul Islam Shaheen (RJD, Samasti pur)
Sharfuddin (JDU, Sheohar)
Khurdsheed Afroz Alam (JDU, Sikta )
Syed Abu Dujana (RJD, Sursana)
Naushad Alam (JDU, Thakurganj)

source: http://www.twocircles.net / Two Circles / Home> India News> India Politics> Indian Muslim> Top Story / by Raqib Hameed Naik , TwoCircles.net / November 08th, 2015

UP municipal elections: MIM bags 30 seats

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

UTTAR  PRADESH  :

Photo : IANS
Photo : IANS

Hyderabad:

The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) on Friday won 30 of the 78 seats it contested in the Uttar Pradesh municipal elections.

The Hyderabad-headquartered party’s candidate Hajjan Hansar was also elected as chairperson of Dasna Municipal Council.

The party headed by Asaduddin Owaisi won 10 seats in Firozabad Municipal Corporation, two in Meerut Municipal Corporation and one each in Kanpur and Allahbad municipal corporations.

According to MIM sources, it bagged Afour seats in Baghpat Municipal Council, three seats in Mahul Azamgarh Municipal Council, two each in Sambhal, Amroha and one each in Sitapur and Banda municipal councils.

MIM finished second in the election for Ferozabad Mayor. Its candidate Mashroom Fathima polled 56,536 votes, pushing the Samajwadi Party to the third place. BJP’s Nutan Rathore won the seat with nearly 99,000 votes.

The party claimed that three independents also want to extend support to it.

Earlier, Owaisi said the party could win the seats due to hard work by the party’s state leaders and members. He thanked the voters for supporting the party.

The MIM failed to open an account in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in March. It had contested 35 seats.

-IANS

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Politics> Top Stories / IANS / December 02nd, 2017

A Look At the ‘Life and Times of a Nationalist Muslim’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, , , , , , , ,

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH :

M. Hashim Kidwai’s memoir recollects the student movements at Lucknow University, the role of Muslims in resisting Partition, and their participation in politics and academics after Independence.

Muslims hold pigeons during a march to celebrate India’s Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, August 15, 2016. REUTERS/Amit Dave
Muslims hold pigeons during a march to celebrate India’s Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, August 15, 2016. REUTERS/Amit Dave

There is a remarkable similarity in the rise and ascension of religious reactionaries between the majority and minority communities in the decade before Independence. During the period of 1938-47, the Muslim League’s communal separatism was in fierce contest with the majoritarian assertion of the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS, while at the same time it also benefitted from the extremism of the other party. The colonial state abetted such reactionary forces.

Other than the presence of the colonial state during that era, the Congress was the most powerful political force in the country, and was led by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad, even though the ideologies of many members of the provincial and district Congress leadership overlapped considerably with the Hindu Mahasabha.

Another reassuring difference is that today we do not have a Muslim political force comparable with Jinnah’s Muslim League, even though we do have the likes of Asaduddin Owaisi, Azam Khan and the sympathisers of the illiberal, non-plural, exclusionary traditions among Muslims and Hindus. If one may add, at the global scale as well, such forces seem to be on the rise today.

Born in 1921, Muhammad Hashim Kidwai saw all of this from close proximity. In his diary, he recollects the days of the late colonial India while living in today’s era. The title of the book itself is interesting. He describes himself as a ‘nationalist Muslim’.

In the late colonial period, the likes of Maulana Azad and Rafi Kidwai were banking upon the nationalist Muslims against the onslaught of the Muslim nationalists (or the votaries of the separate nationhood), just as the likes of Gandhi and Nehru were fighting with the Hindu nationalists, the rabid majoritarian reactionaries.

One should read the first volume of Kidwai’s reminiscence in the backdrop of these events. His account is rich in details pertaining to politics up to the Nehru era. His presence in Lucknow as a student till his late 20s and then his role as a teacher of political science at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) immediately after Independence and Partition enabled him to articulate significant narratives.

The fact that he was also an activist – both as a student and as a teacher – adds to the sharpness of his observations and insights. His long chapter on the student movement in Lucknow University provides vivid details of various little and big political organisations and fronts, literary associations and journalistic initiatives. The details captured in that chapter provide a valuable account of the political evolution of the Lucknow youth in the popular phase of the national movement.

In terms of academic explorations in India, we have an inadequate understanding of student movements as well the role of Muslims in resisting partition. This chapter invites us to make attempts towards filling the gap. The subsequent brief chapter on the consequences of Partition reflects on how Muslims adjusted thereafter.

Vice President Muhammad Hamid Ansari with Hashim Kidwai (C) at the launch of his book Life and Times of a Nationalist Muslim. Credit: Aligarh Movement
Vice President Muhammad Hamid Ansari with Hashim Kidwai (C) at the launch of his book Life and Times of a Nationalist Muslim. Credit: Aligarh Movement

It also hints at the relatively greater communalisation of the regional politics of Uttar Pradesh, which pushed Rafi Kidwai out of UP politics and then led to Nehru accommodating him in national politics.

There are a number of Urdu memoirs about the socio-political life on the huge AMU campus, but rather than offering informed criticism and reflections, most are essentially exaggerated eulogies. Kidwai’s memoir is not very critical either, but it does stand out for being able to relate campus life to the world outside. To him, the AMU campus was neither politically insulated nor did it suffer from an ‘isolation syndrome.’

Life and Times of a Nationalist Muslim M. Hashim Kidwai Universal Book House Aligarh, 2015
Life and Times of a Nationalist Muslim
M. Hashim Kidwai
Universal Book House Aligarh, 2015

Being a quintessential Congressman, his narrative about the stealth placing of an idol in the Babri Masjid in December 1949 is focussed more against socialists like Ram Manohar Lohia and Acharya Narendra Dev, who according to him, remained silent to this injustice. Kidwai, however, does show his reservations against G.B. Pant, the then chief minister of UP. He complains, “Both Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel urged Pandit Pant, the UP premier, to take strong action… But for reasons best known to him, Pantji did not take any action… Pantji’s policy of leaving everything to the district authorities was very much condemned and resented by a large number of Congressmen.”

Progressing strictly in chronological sequence and living up to its name as a diary, almost half of the memoir is devoted to AMU. Kidwai served there not only as a teacher but also as a writer of textbooks, a teacher activist and also contributed in academic governance.

In a huge residential university like AMU, which houses more than 30,000 students, “policing” students is a challenging task. Kidwai describes his roles as that of a provost of a residential hall as well as a proctor. While describing the role of the various vice chancellors, he, unfortunately, neglects their impact on establishing or encouraging academic rigour.

Kidwai is almost solely concerned with the socio-political life on the campus and the narrative gives the impression that the Youth Congress dominated the campus. Other accounts of post-Independence AMU inform us that Left activism had gained a significant presence at the university in the 1960s. Kidwai’s account ignores this and also does not dwell on the composition of the student body, that is, the regions the students came from or their socio-economic status.

The volume concludes with the death of Nehru in 1964.

A close reading of India’s comparative history that draws few parallels between the elections of 1946 and of 2014, and the consequences thereof, is still awaited. One hopes that the sequel volume of Kidwai’s memoir will delve deeper into such issues.

By his own admission in the preface, Kidwai, as a parliamentarian, stood behind the clergy, jarringly conservative on gender issues. He was also one of those that ill-advisedly encouraged Rajiv Gandhi to legislate against the Supreme Court verdict on the Shah Bano issue. Therefore, this first volume really sets up expectations for the next and about how he will recollect the days of 1985-86, especially at a time when the same gender issues have once again acquired significant political saliency. Equally important will be to read his views on the decline of the Congress post-1980s.

This is an important book, one which will become a resource for scholars interested in the participation of Muslims in both politics and in academics after Independence.

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source:  http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Books / by Mohammad Sajjad / November 04th, 2016