All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen announced its first list of candidates

Hyderabad: The All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen on Monday announced its first list of candidates for seven Assembly constituencies and the Hyderabad LS seat for which polling is scheduled in the first phase of elections on April 30.

Announcing the list MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said that he will contest from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat.

While retaining five sitting MLAs Akbaruddin Owaisi, Chandrayangutta, Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, Yakutpura, Ahmed Pasha Quadri, Charminar, Ahmed Balala, Malakpet, and Muazzam Khan of Bahadurpura Assembly constituencies, the party dropped Muqtada Khan alias Afsar Khan of Karwan and Virasat Rasool Khan of Nampally constituencies.

Jaffer Hussain Meraj, former deputy mayor was announced as candidate from Nampally and Kausar Mohiuddin as a candidate for Karwan.

Kausar Mohiuddin is the only surprise inclusion in party’s first list of candidates for the Assembly elections. He is a senior MIM worker. His wife is a corporator from the Nanalnagar division of GHMC.

Mr Owaisi announced the list at a meeting of party primary units at Darussalam.

When contacted, Mr Owaisi said that the party had given seats to Jaffer Hussain Meraj and Kausar Mohiuddin to encourage the younger generation of the party and senior dedicated workers.

He said that Afsar Khan and Virasat Rasool Khan had performed well as MLAs of the party.

However, sources said that Afsar Khan was dropped on health grounds and the party was not satisfied with the performance of Virasat Rasool Khan.

Sources expect the party to release the second list of candidates to contest from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat and the Assembly seats of Amberpet, Jubilee Hills, Musheerabad, Nizamabad, Bodhan and Armoor in Telangana in a couple of days.