For the Delhi Assembly elections, AIMIM has nominated Shifaur Rahman Khan as its candidate for the Okhla Assembly constituency. Khan is currently in jail on charges related to the Delhi riots. He is the former president of the Jamia alumni group AJMI.
Delhi AIMIM president Shoaib Jamee confirmed to OT that the party had finalised Shifaur Rahman’s candidacy. Previously, the party had also nominated Tahir Hussain, another accused in the Delhi riots, as its candidate for the Mustafabad Assembly constituency.
There was some initial confusion in the locality about whether Shifaur Rahman would contest from Okhla on the AIMIM ticket despite the party announcing his name. When asked for comments, members of AAJMI avoided the question.
According to reliable sources, a meeting of Shifaur Rahman’s family members and some AAJMI members was held for about an hour, with reporters not allowed inside. While the details of the meeting remain unknown, a Jamia alumnus later emerged and said: “Initially, Shifaur Rahman was not interested in contesting the election. But when the ticket was offered to him by Asaduddin Owaisi’s party, we convinced him and his family that he should take up this opportunity. The good news is that he has agreed to contest the election.”
Another alumnus, who attended the gathering at Ghaffar Manzil, expressed concerns about the area’s poor condition, stating that it needed change. Okhla needs an educated leader and Shifaur Rahman has everything in him, he siad.
Later, Delhi AIMIM chief Shoaib Jamee also visited Shifaur Rahman’s family and met with several Jamia alumni. Danish, an AAJMI post-bearer, told OT that the entire Jamia community supports Shifaur Rahman, and a committee would soon be formed to ensure his success in the election.
“We will make sure that Shifaur Rahman wins this election,” he said. It would be interesting to see who wins in getting support from Jamia alumni as both incumbent Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan are from Jamia.
With AIMIM now having finalised its candidate, all eyes are on the Congress. Amanatullah Khan has already begun campaigning, seeking a third consecutive term. He has launched several developmental projects to win the support of residents, many of whom accuse him of neglecting the area over the past decade.
It was Asaduddin Owaisi who first hinted at nominating jailed Shifaur Rahman for the Okhla seat during an interview with a TV channel. However, due to family indecision, it took several days for AIMIM to finalize his candidacy.
Shifaur Rahman, a B.Com graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia, hails from Salta in Uttar Pradesh, the same place as Amanatullah Khan. Political observers predict the election will heat up after AIMIM announced its candidate for the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5, with the results scheduled to be announced on February 8.
The announcement by AIMIM has put an end to rumours that former Okhla MLA Asif Md Khan was considering joining Asaduddin Owaisi’s party if he failed to secure a ticket from the Congress. The speculation began after a video surfaced showing Khan causing a disturbance at the AICCI and DPCC offices.
