Salar bids goodbye to elections

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">HYDERABAD: Salar-e-Millat (the chief commander) Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, at last put an end to his uninterrupted 51 year old career as a public representative. He announced his retirement from electoral politics but said he would continue to play a role in active politics as the president of the MIM.<br /><br />Salar on Thursday announced his eldest son Asaduddin Owaisi as his successor from Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat."Asad has learnt a lot and emerged as favourite of the masses.<br /><br />He is capable of handling the Lok Sabha seat and has the potential to raise relevant issues in Parliament," Salar remarked while talking to The Times of India.<br /><br />Owaisi ruled out that his health and age was the reason for his not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. "The only reason why I quit was to encourage young blood in politics," he said, adding that "people would see me more active in politics but outside of legislative bodies.''''<br /><br />Salahuddin Owaisi spent nine years as the opposition leader in the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, 22 years in the Assembly as the MIM floor leader and 20 years in the Lok Sabha.<br /><br />"My party workers tried to persuade me to contest this time too, but I sincerely apologise to them for disappointing them," he said, adding, "I<br /><br />Believe Asad will get all love and support from the public and party workers that I had been enjoying for the past 51 years."<br /><br />With Salahuddin Owaisi leaving the electoral arena and Asaduddin taking his place in the Hyderabad candidate list, the MIM lineup for the forthcoming polls features two new faces: Ahmed Pasha Qadri, a former corporator and senior leader in the party, will fight the election from Charminar, and Abdul Munim Haji, a.k.a Haji Seth, another senior leader, from Asifnagar.<br /><br />The party has renominated its sitting MLAs for the other seats it named on Thursday: Akbaruddin Owaisi from Chandrayangutta, Maqtada Khan, alias Afsar Khan from Karwan and and Mumtaz Ahmed Khan from Yakutpura.<br /><br />Asad will be filing his nomination papers at Rangareddy collectorate on Monday.<br /><br /><formid=526372></formid=526372></div> </div>