Shabbir Ali blames AIMIM for past losses, backs Naveen Yadav in Jubilee Hills bypoll

Telangana’s former Minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir accused AIMIM of causing his past electoral defeats, including Kamareddy 2023, alleging the party divides Muslim votes. He urged support for Congress candidate Naveen Yadav in Jubilee Hills, while Minority Welfare Minister Azharuddin assured full focus on scholarships and minority welfare

Hyderabad: Continuing his vicious attack on the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) even as the Congress was campaigning along with the MIM in Jubilee Hills, former Minister and Advisor to the Government of Telangana Mohammed Ali Shabbir accused the party from the Old City of being responsible for his defeat in the 2023 Assembly elections in Kamareddy. He said he would continue to question AIMIM for failing to support issues concerning Muslims.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan along with the newly sworn-in Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin, Shabbir Ali attributed all his electoral losses in the State to the MIM, and said even his debacle in Kamareddy in 2023 was ‘because of AIMIM’s interference’. At the same time, he urged the Muslim community to vote for Congress candidate Naveen Yadav, a former MIM candidate, in the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election.

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“Muslims should support Naveen Yadav and ensure his victory with a massive majority,” he said.

This is not the first time that Shabbir Ali has attacked the AIMIM. Last week, campaigning for Congress candidates in Bihar, he had repeatedly accused the AIMIM of deliberately dividing Muslim votes in Bihar and indirectly helping the BJP. He alleged that AIMIM’s political foray into minority-dominated segments was aimed at weakening Muslim representation in the Assembly.

He also expressed concern over AIMIM’s selective political strategy, and asked why the party contested aggressively in Bihar but avoided many constituencies in Telangana where it could directly challenge the BJP. He said such tactics exposed AIMIM’s real agenda, which was to divide secular votes and prevent the consolidation of Muslim support behind the Congress and its allies. “Every time AIMIM appears in an election, the BJP gains ground,” he had said.

Meanwhile, Azharuddin said he was satisfied with the responsibilities given to him and thanked the Congress leadership for entrusting him with a ministerial role. He said he would focus on resolving long-pending issues concerning minorities and students. Interestingly, he admitted that scholarships for Muslim students were not being released for the last two years and assured that he would work to ensure 100 per cent disbursal.

Azharuddin said he had worked consistently for Hyderabad cricket and dismissed personal criticism as unwarranted. Expressing confidence in the Jubilee Hills bypoll, he claimed that the Congress would win with a strong majority. He also claimed that other parties were “barely visible” in the constituency’s campaign and that the Muslims were firmly with the Congress.

The former Indian cricketer said criticism directed at him stating that his tenure would be short ‘was politically motivated’.