Hyderabad: The MIM, which has been among the single largest parties in the GHMC since 1986, is planning to field more women candidates in the forthcoming GHMC polls.
MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi recently said that his party planned to contest 75 of the 150 divisions, and indications are that many of these candidates would be women. The party has set up a women wing in the party.
AIMIM captured power in the erstwhile MCH in the 1986 polls, when it emerged as the single largest party in the 100-member civic body with 38 corporators, six of them women. In 1986, nine per cent of the seats were reserved for women, and this went up to 33 per cent in the 2002 elections.
The party won 36 of the 100 divisions in 2002, 15 among these winning candidates women. The GHMC was formed in 2007 by merging 12 adjoining municipalities with the MCH and civic body polls were held in 2009. Again, MIM emerged the single largest party in the erstwhile MCH area, winning 41 of the 100 divisions and its overall tally was 43 in the 150-member body. Again, 15 were women.
The MIM leadership now plans to field more women candidates, at least 30, by offering seats to SC ST and BC women. The party is also planning to field more non-Muslim candidates in coming elections. Incidentally, five non-Muslim candidates fielded by the party were elected in 1986. Again, in 2002, four non-Muslim candidates, including two women, were elected. In 2009 too, four non-Muslim candidates, including three women, won on MIM ticket. Jaffer Hussain Meraj, party MLA, said that the MIM has been striving for the empowerment of women by fielding them in elections.
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