'To defeat BJP...': AIMIM to vote for Congress candidate in Rajya Sabha polls
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Mumbai: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Friday extended support for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and said it would vote for Congress candidate Imran Pratapgarhi in the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra with the aim to defeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The announcement was made by AIMIM Lok Sabha member from Aurangabad Imtiaz Jaleel hours before the polling started at 9 am.
However, the party's state unit president Imtiaz Jaleel said that the political differences of AIMIM will continue with Shiv Sena which is an ally of the MVA-led Maharashtra government.
"Our 2 AIMIM Maharashtra MLAs have been asked to vote for @INCIndia candidate @ShayarImran for Rajya Sabha seat. We extend our best wishes to him! "To defeat BJP, our party @aimim_national has decided to vote for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Our political/ideological differences however will continue with @ShivSena which is a partner in MVA along with @INCIndia and @Maha_speaks_ncp," Mr. Jaleel tweeted.
Mr. Jaleel had held a series of meetings with MVA leaders on Thursday before agreeing to vote for the MVA candidates. In the meeting, Imtiaz Jaleel listed certain conditions to the MVA leaders. The meeting came after AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi was approached by MVA leaders for discussion in relation to the Rajya Sabha polls.
AIMIM demanded that the state government appoint a minority member to the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and take steps to increase the income of the Maharashtra Wakf Board. AIMIM also demanded reservations for Muslims.
However, it is uncertain whether MVA agreed to all conditions listed by AIMIM leaders.
Seven candidates are contesting for the six seats from Maharashtra, where polling is being held today.
After more than two decades, Maharashtra is witnessing a contest in the Rajya Sabha polls, as there are seven candidates for six seats. The polling process started at 9 am and will end at 4 pm.
