AIMIM Targets 50 Seats in Mumbai BMC Elections – Says AIMIM Mumbai President Shakir Patni

Mumbai: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party will make its debut in the forthcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections which are expected to be held in February 2017. AIMIM aims to bag 50 seats 11 civic wards.

AIMIM Mumbai president Abdul Rehman Shakir Patni expecting a victory in all the seats it will contest, claims to outvote the existing Samajwadi Party in these polls.

Patni told “Our party is widely recognised and appreciated by a lot of people for fighting relevant issues. No political party has gained such recognition in a short period because of which we are confident in these civic polls. We are counting on 50 seats across the city.”

Despite banking on the Muslim vote for the upcoming elections, Patni said they are a secular party. “We have always believed in a secular nation. The reason behind our victory in the previous Maharashtra elections is because voters of all sections of the society have voted for us. We are also looking for candidates who believe in secularism.”

In the recently held municipal council and local bodies polls, the AIMIM party has won two seats in Shegaon (Buldhana), eight in Umarkhed (Yavatmal), two in Beed and four in Shahada (Nandurbar) municipal councils.

Expressing displeasure over the sad state of infrastructure of Mumbai, Patni said, “90 per cent of the actual Mumbai is in a bad state. Existing issues like water contamination, pothole filled roads, encroached footpaths, less number of open space, civic run hospitals in poor condition itself states that the civic body has failed to address these problems of the city. Also, the ruling Shiv Sena party, which has the maximum number of seats in the civic body, has failed to improve the city’s infrastructure.”

The party will be contesting the civic polls from Govandi, Mumbadevi, Byculla, Joegshwari, Bandra-Mahim, Andheri, Kurla and Dharavi.

Rubbishing claims of SP Corporator Yakub Memon’s entering the AIMIM, Patni said, “We have not finalised any candidates till date. We are not considering people who are approaching us for political gain or ticket to contest elections. Also, we don’t need a well-known face for our party’s win.”