Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader and Nampally MLA (AIMIM) Majid Hussain’s remarks at a political rally in Maharashtra’s Washim came under fire for allegedly ‘inciting Islamists.’
“Jab humare pe aigi na tho gali gali kam pade gi Inshallah,” (When our turn comes, the streets will fall short.) he was heard saying in a clip widely shared on social media. Towards the end of the clip, he mentions that Shariat “has faced intrusion or interference.”
BJP responds
Responding to this, the President of Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Mumbai Minority Morcha, Wasim R Khan, released a statement condemning Majid Hussain’s remarks and stated that his tactics will not weaken Maharashtra’s brotherhood.”
“AIMIM has always tried to use religion and Shariat as a shield for their politics…these tactics might work in Hyderabad, but not in Maharashtra. Maharashtra is famous for its brotherhood, and if you try to interfere, the results will be dire…You are threatening the majority that protects the minority in Maharashtra. This is highly condemnable.” Wasim R Khan stated.
His rally came ahead of the elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, scheduled for December 2, with counting on December 3.
Maharashtra municipal elections
An estimated 35.05 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 1.30 pm on Tuesday, December 2, as voting for underway for elections in 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra.
The polling began at 7.30 am and will conclude at 5.30 pm.
Counting of votes will be taken up on December 21, as per the directive of the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench on Tuesday, after the SEC last week rescheduled elections in 24 local bodies to December 20 due to certain apparent irregularities in the process.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised the postponement of the 24 local body polls and said the SEC had interpreted the law in the wrong way.
Voting was underway across 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the first phase of the local body elections in Maharashtra, where 6,042 seats and 264 posts of council presidents are up for grabs.
Nearly one crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first round of the multi-tier rural and urban local bodies elections, which, as per the Supreme Court’s directives, are to be concluded by January 31, 2026.
The poll battle has become multi-dimensional with the BJP-led Mahayuti and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) locking horns, interspersed by “friendly fights” among the alliances and subtle bids for one-upmanship between the BJP and Shiv Sena.
The local body polls are being viewed as a major indicator of political sentiment in Maharashtra, a year after the BJP-led Mahayuti won 235 out of the 288 seats in the state assembly elections.
These polls have already witnessed significant political manoeuvring, with the ruling Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party facing off against the Opposition MVA of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) and Congress.
(With inputs from PTI.)
