Mumbai: AIMIM replaces city president Faiyyaz Ahmed with businessman Raiees Lashkaria

MUMBAI: The newly appointed Mumbai president of Majlise Ittihadul Muslimeen (MIM), Raiees Lashkaria, has said that his priority is the upcoming BMC elections. He is working seriously to create a dedicated cadre to ensure that MIM candidates win some seats at the BMC polls.A businessman-politician, Lashkaria kicked off his “mass contact” after taking over as the party’s city president at a Rakshabandhan programme in Jogeshwari on Wednesday, where dozens of women tied rakhi on his wrist. “This was a good gesture by women of this locality who showed love and affection to me by treating me as their brother,” Lashkaria said. He added that he, through volunteers, was identifying the seats from where the party will field its candidates for the civic polls. However, he said the leadership will decide how many seats it wants to fight in the upcoming assembly and BMC elections.Lashkaria was made MIM’s city president a couple of days ago by replacing Faiyyaz Ahmed. Ahmed was appointed the party’s city president just before the 2019 assembly elections. Ahmed stormed out of a press conference which was being addressed by MIM leader and former MP Imtiaz Jalil. Later, Ahmed accused MIM of being the “B-team of the BJP.” He added that he has still not decided which party he will join. Earlier,he was with Janta Dal and Congress and is mum about his move since his departure from Asaduddin Owaisi-led MIM which has been trying to spread its footprint outside Telengana but with little success.When asked to comment on Ahmed's allegations, Lashkaria said: "Faiyyaz sahab should have been more responsible in his comments about the party he headed in Mumbai for five years. My job is to strengthen the cadre in the city and ensure to put up a good show at the upcoming elections."