Ballari: One of the three nominees of the ruling Congress for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, had only last week submitted an application seeking the Congress ticket to contest the ensuing Assembly elections from Ballari city, but surprisingly the AICC nominated him for a Rajya Sabha seat instead!
Insiders say Mr Hussain is a staunch loyalist of senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, who is now in charge of the Central Election Committee of AICC to select party nominees for the RS poll.
Sources said the Congress has chosen Mr Hussain to woo Muslims in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region ahead of the elections.
Hailing from Ballari, Mr Hussain has worked as co-vice-chairman of the Central Advisory Board for Child Labour under the Ministry of Labour and Employment when it was headed by then Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Oscar Fernandes. He holds a doctorate in international politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University and is also a member of the Cine Workers Welfare Fund under the Labour and Employment Ministry.
He had served as secretary of the All India Youth Congress.
He was actively involved in the student and youth movement for the past two decades and is spokesperson of the AICC.
