The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) is gearing up to widen its base in Telangana and Rayalaseema regions, which have sizeable Muslim population. The party is planning to test its strength through the ensuing local body polls in these regions and prepare strategies for the forthcoming Assembly and Parliament elections.
Party chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday had a meeting with key leaders of the party at party headquarters Darussalam. Party leaders and workers from all the districts of Telangana and Rayalaseema attended the meeting.
According to sources, the party was planning to contest elections in municipal corporations and municipalities in the two regions where it has sizable presence. The MIM has a good presence in a majority of the 10 districts in Telangana, and in Anantapur district and some other pockets of Rayalaseema. There are about 15 to 25 percent Muslims in some places in Telangana and Rayalaseema. The MIM is targeting these areas for its expansion.
The party, which has seven members in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and one in Madhya Pradesh, has already bagged a few seats in local body elections in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The party won 11 seats in the elections to Nanded Municipal Corporation in 2012. It has a deputy mayor in Karimnagar as well.
MIM has 43 members, including the mayor, in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).According to sources, the party was planning to filed candidates in Nizambad, Anantapur, Tirupati, Kurnool, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar and a few other districts.
It has plans to expand its base in Hyderabad as well. It has already started strengthening its cadre in some Assembly segments and is grooming leaders there.
According to party sources, the MIM which used to leave some Assembly seats in city to its ally, the Congress, now wants to contest those seats too as it had servered ties with Congress. Under its expansion plans, the MIM is plannning to filed candidates in the next Assembly elections in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and other states. Majlis is also planning to nominate candidates in the coming Assembly elections in Marathwada, which has a substantial Muslim population.
MIM Rethinking on Ties with Cong?
Express News Service
Hyderabad: With Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) gearing up to widen its base in Telangana and Rayalaseema regions, it has begun reconsidering its ties with the Congress.
According to sources, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who called on PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana at Gandhi Bhavan on Thursday, to inform him about his party’s decision to give up GHMC mayor’s post, was asked by Botcha to reconsider his decision. However, the MIM chief did not commit himself and told him that he would get back to him after discussing the issue in the party.
It is learnt that the mayor was asked to resign from his post by the MIM leadership as the party has decided to sever its ties with the Congress and not to have any poll alliance with it in the ensuing municipal polls.
Meanwhile, both the Congress and TRS are trying to woo the MIM for poll alliance for the general polls, however, the MIM leadership might decide on it only after the municipal polls. It is learnt that back channel negotiations between the Congress and the TRS in Telangana are going on over seat-sharing. Congress, is trying to win over its old ally.
With TRS reluctance to merge the Congress is hurrying to get MIM’s support back. The MIM ended its alliance with the Congress about two years ago over the issue of the Bhagyalakshmi temple. Their relations strained further after Akbaruddin Owaisi was arrested in the alleged hate speech case. However, MIM party leaders claim that that the issue of GHMC mayor Mohammad Majid Hussain’s resignation was discussed at the meeting and that there was no discussion of poll alliance.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that a meeting between TRS chief K Chandrasekar Rao and Asaduddin took place on Wednesday on possible alliance between the two parties.
According to sources, the Owaisi brothers had closed-door meeting on Thursday at MIM headquarters Darulsalaam to discuss poll alliance offer made by the Congress and TRS.
The MIM wants to raise its tally to double digits this time and for this it was making all-out efforts. The MIM’s strength in the current Assembly is seven. Following bifurcation, MIM is keen to play a bigger role in Telangana politics. It is learnt that KCR had told his party leaders that he was planning to forge an alliance with MIM.