SP’s Maharashtra face, Abu Azmi faces his toughest poll battle

The Maharashtra SP main deed the headlines successful the aboriginal 1990s aft helium was arrested nether the stringent Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) connected charges of arranging an aerial summons to a antheral connected to the 1993 Mumbai weaponry blasts. In 1995, aft spending 2 years successful jail, helium was acquitted by the Supreme Court, frankincense paving his introduction into politics. SP laminitis Mulayam Singh Yadav appointed Azmi arsenic the party’s Maharashtra president successful 1995 keeping successful caput his beardown pursuing among the northbound Indian Muslim assemblage of Mumbai.

In its debut successful Maharashtra successful 1995, the SP won 3 seats but each the MLAs jumped vessel subsequently, citing differences with Azmi’s enactment style. The inclination has continued implicit the years arsenic galore much leaders person discontinue the SP citing Azmi’s “authoritarian approach”.

“It is hard to enactment with him, He is brash and nary 1 with self-respect tin tolerate the mode helium speaks to his subordinates,” a erstwhile SP MLA, who has discontinue the party, said.

Despite the respective defections, Azmi managed to support a adjacent narration with Mulayam and was elevated to the Rajya Sabha successful 2002. However, his archetypal effort astatine nonstop elections ended successful decision aft helium mislaid the 2004 Assembly elections to the Shiv Sena’s Yogesh Patil by implicit 30,000 votes. Five years later, helium made a comeback, winning some Bhiwandi and Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, a spot helium has held since.

Azmi’s tenure arsenic MLA excessively has been fraught with controversies. In 2009, helium was progressive successful a carnal altercation with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLAs successful the Assembly.

But this fiery rhetoric and brash style, earning him the estimation of being 1 of the astir polarising figures successful Maharashtra, is besides the crushed that Azmi continues to stay a important force, particularly among the ample North Indian migrant assemblage successful the state. In these polls too, Azmi is banking heavy connected this migrant colonisation to clasp Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.

Despite his polarising demeanour, Azmi has been pivotal successful expanding the SP’s footprint beyond Mumbai with his extended tours crossed the state.

“He has elevated galore individuals from obscurity to positions of powerfulness by making them corporators. People, particularly Muslims and migrants from Uttar Pradesh spot him arsenic a beacon of anticipation during pugnacious times. However, his enactment benignant is often marked by a reluctance to stock decision-making power,” Shahid Kakkar, a erstwhile SP idiosyncratic from Dhule said.

However, the introduction of Malik, who has accused Azmi of letting cause commercialized flourish nether his watch, has compounded his problems. “Those progressive successful cause commercialized present are often linked to the sitting MLA, with his ain household members being nether probe for their relation successful cause rackets. This situation has fueled wide lawlessness successful the constituency,” Malik precocious said.

Another hiccup this clip is Azmi’s fallout implicit organisational matters with chap enactment MLA Rais Shaikh, the party’s progressive look and its campaigner from Bhiwandi East.

The Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar MLA, who was disappointed with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaving conscionable 2 of the 288 seats successful Maharashtra for the SP, has fielded 9 candidates against the conjugation – comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) — arsenic good arsenic the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, successful Muslim-majority constituencies crossed the state.

While analysts reason Azmi’s determination whitethorn indirectly payment the BJP successful these seats by splitting the Muslim vote, Azmi remains resolute successful his stance and claims his combat is against “fascist forces”.

“In the Lok Sabha elections, Sanjay Patil (of the undivided Sena) of the Sena UBT secured the pb from my constituency. The crushed was that the Muslim ballot was agreed against fascism. This time, the Mahayuti, dissimilar anyplace else, has fielded 2 candidates from my constituency to divided the Muslim vote,” the SP authorities main said, referring to the candidature of the Shinde Sena’s Suresh ‘Bullet’ Patil.