AIMIM releases first list for 2018 Telangana polls, retains all 07 sitting MLAs

Hyderabad (Telangana), 12 Sep 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Tuesday released its first list of seven candidates for the Telangana Legislative Assembly elections, retaining all its 07 sitting MLAs in the now dissolved house.

According to the AIMIM list, Mumtaz Khan and Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri have swapped their respective constituencies. Therefore, Mumtaz Khan will now contest from Charminar, while Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri will represent AIMIM from the Yakutpura assembly constituency.

The remaining candidates - Akbaruddin Owaisi (Chandrayangutta), Mohd Moazam Khan (Bahadurpura), Ahmed Bin Abdullah Balala (Malakpet), Jaffer Hussain Meraj (Nampally) and Kausar Mohiuddin (Karwan) - have retained the constituencies where they won in 2014.

Earlier on Friday, Akbaruddin Owaisi while kickstarting All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) campaign in the poll bound Telangana, slammed K. Chandrashekar Rao, popularly known as KCR, for his ambitions to become chief minister again and said he himself will try to secure the top post of the state after the polls.

"If Kumaraswamy can become chief minister, why can't me", Akbaruddin Owaisi, AIMIM floor leade in now dissolved Telangana assembly, said while addressing a public meeting in Mallepally Hyderabad.

“KCR says he will become chief minister again in December after the elections which will be held in November. I say November me elections honge aur December me mai khud Chief minister hoonga (Elections will be in November and in December, I will be the next Chief Minister of Telnagana", Akbaruddin Owaisi said.

“If Kumaraswamy can become CM, why not me?” Owaisi reiterated while reminding the gathering his father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi's words and asking the people to support AIMIM and achieve this target.

Akbaruddin Owaisi was referring to HD Kumaraswamy of Janata Dal (S) who became chief minister of Karnataka even though the Congress and BJP have more members.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajat Kumar on Monday briefed senior officials of Election Commission of India (ECI) about the preparatory work in Telangana.

A team of ECI officials, headed by Umesh Sinha, senior deputy Election Commissioner, will visit Hyderabad today, and will later give the report to the Election Commission after completing the visit.

On September 6, Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan had dissolved the state assembly following a recommendation from the K Chandrashekhar Rao-led cabinet. The Governor, however, asked Rao to continue as caretaker Chief Minister until the new government was formed.

The Telangana assembly has a total of 119 seats. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had sweeped the 2014 state elections, winning a total of 90 seats. Congress won 13 seats, BJP 05, TDP 03 and CPI(M) just 01 seat.