Hyderabad, April 4 The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has fielded Mirza Riyaz Ul Hasan Effendi as its candidate for the biennial election to the Hyderabad Local Authorities Constituency (LAC) seat of the Telangana Legislative Council.
Effendi filed his nomination paper on Friday in the presence of party MLAs Ahmed Balala and Mir Zulfekhar Ali.
If elected, this will be the second term for Effendi as MLC. His first term came to an end last month.
The electorate for Hyderabad LAC consists of 110 voters, including corporators, MLAs, and MPs. The AIMIM has the majority with 49 votes, followed by the BRS with 25, and the Congress with 14. The remaining voters belong to the BJP.
The ruling Congress has not fielded its candidate for the April 23 poll. It is likely to support the AIMIM.
The main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is also not contesting the election.
Friday was the last day for filing of nominations. N. Gautham Rao filed his nomination as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.
Gautham Rao earlier served as the President of the BJP’s Hyderabad Central district.
Nomination papers will be scrutinised on April 7 and April 9 is the last date for withdrawal of papers. Polling will be held on April 23 and counting will take place on April 25.
The term of the present MLC, M.S. Prabhakar, ends on May 1 this year.
Sitting MLC Prabhakar was elected on a BRS ticket in the previous election but switched loyalties to the Congress in July last year.
Last month, five MLC vacancies from the MLA quota were filled unanimously. Three candidates of the Congress and one each of its ally, the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the BRS were elected unopposed.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay has alleged that the AIMIM, the BRS, and the Congress have colluded. He termed it Telangana’s love triangle.
"The non-existent delimitation issue brought the 3 parties together. The trio voted jointly against the Centre on the Waqf Board Bill in Parliament. Now, both BRS & Congress backed off from contesting Hyderabad MLC elections to ensure AIMIM’s victory," Bandi Sanjay posted on X.
"Rahul Gandhi, your Congress is partnering with the same BRS & MIM you falsely accused the BJP of aligning with during elections. Next time, before making baseless statements for votes, check your own house before pointing fingers. Hypocrisy is showing & Telangana is watching," he added.
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