This Article is From Oct 21, 2014

After Impressive Debut, This Party Makes Big Plans for Maharashtra

After Impressive Debut, This Party Makes Big Plans for Maharashtra

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Mumbai: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen or MIM, a Hyderabad-based party, has made an impressive debut in Maharashtra. The party has won two seats, one in Mumbai and one in Aurangabad.

Waris Yusuf Pathan, a lawyer, won in Byculla, a Congress bastion in Mumbai, by a narrow margin of 1,357 votes.

"People found that this party, which is basically based in Hyderabad, had done a lot of work in Telangana for the betterment of Muslims. People thought why not try the party (in Maharashtra) which can take care of minority issues," Mr Pathan told NDTV.

But critics of the MIM say the victory is an issue of concern. In January last year, MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi was booked for allegedly trying to incite communal passions through a hate speech.

Critics of the party fear that the party could accentuate communal differences in Maharashtra, which has witnessed some of the worst riots in the country.

But sources in the Congress and NCP admit that Muslim voters have drifted towards the MIM. 

"We failed to make minorities aware about the work we have done for them. In the next five years, we will work more towards the welfare of minorities," NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told NDTV.

Madhav Bhandari, the spokesperson of the BJP in Maharashtra, told NDTV, "Minorities are feeling cheated by the Congress. They don't trust the NCP now in Maharashtra and they want some other outlet for their opinions. This time, in a few centres, they have opted for the MIM. But I think this will be a temporary phenomenon".

Buoyed by their victory, MIM leaders say that the party is here to stay, and increase its political base in the state. "In the next five years, we are going to be a well-known party and have a majority in Maharashtra," claimed Mr Pathan.
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