SP state unit chief and MLA Abu Asim Azmi criticized Congress leaders, especially chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and the party's state chief Manikrao Thakre. "If the CM had no mandate from Madam (Sonia Gandhi) to form an alliance with SP, why did he call us to his residence on Thursday evening? When we met him again on Friday evening, he didn't give us any hint of trouble. But soon after midnight I received a call saying the alliance was over as it was disapproved in Delhi. We feel cheated," said Azmi at a press conference on Saturday. He said as he was allotted eight seats from the Congress, due to lack of time he could give forms A and B only to around 45
candidates, he didn't know how many actually filed nominations.
Some Congress leaders objected to the alliance even before it was formed. "The CM was wrongly told an alliance with SP will help us. Some leaders conspired to deny me a ticket from Mankhurd-Shivajinagar where I have worked. How can Azmi claim his party is popular among Muslims when his son (Farhan Azmi) couldn't get more than 9,000 votes in the 2014 LS polls from Mumbai North Central, which has a sizeable Muslim population?" said MLA Yusuf Abrahni, who is contesting against Abu Azmi.
Majlise Ittihadul Muslameen, a new party, filed nominations for about 30 seats, including 8 in the city—Byculla, Bandra-E, Bandra-W, Kurla-E, Mankhurd-Shivajinagar, Versova, Mumbadevi and Chandivali. "Muslims have a choice to reject so-called secular parties like Congress, NCP and SP, and elect MIM, which will help them get what these parties denied them for years," said MIM candidate from Byculla, Waris Pathan.
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