Muslim MLAs in Maharashtra Assembly drop to nine

Hyderabad, Oct 19 (INN): The number of Muslim MLAs in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly have dropped from 11 in 2009 to just nine in recent elections, whose results were declared on Sunday.

With the entry of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, it was a six-cornered contest especially in Muslim-concentrated constituencies of Maharashtra. Of 65 Muslim candidates, representing six major parties, who were in the fray, only nine won the elections. The major parties had fielded 19 Muslims in 2009 Assembly elections and of them, 11 had won. However, the multi-cornered contest this time went against the Muslim candidates and only nine were elected to the Maharashtra Assembly.

The Muslims MLAs who got elected are: Aslam Shaikh (Malad West), Khan Mohd Arif (Chandivali), Shaiked Aasif Shaikh Rashid (Malegaon Central), Amin Patel (Mumbadevi) and Abdul Sattar Abdul Nabi (Sillod) of Congress party; Syed Imtiaz Jalil (Aurangabad Central) and Advocate Waris Yusuf Pathan (Byculla) of MIM; Abu Asim Azmi (Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar) of Samajwadi Party and Mushrif Hasan Miyalal (Kagal) of NCP.

In 2009 elections, Congress had five Muslim MLAs, Samajwadi Party had three, NCP had two and Jan Surajya Shakti had one Muslim MLA.