Farhan Azmi, son of state Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Abu Asim Azmi, on Tuesday said he was in the reckoning to contest against sitting Congress MP and union minister Milind Deora from Mumbai South constituency in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Azmi said he wanted to take on Deora as he has “failed” youth while Shiv Sena candidate Arwind Sawant was a no match to the Congress leader.
“There should be someone who can take on Milind. In 2009, I was not ready to enter electoral politics. But, now I am in the process of conducting a survey about my electoral prospects. If I can win one lakh plus votes, I will enter the fray. I do not wish to be just a game spoiler,” he said.
In 2009 elections, Milind Deora, son of former minister and Congress heavyweight Murli Deora, had defeated Shiv Sena’s Mohan Rawale in the constituency.
AAP has already announced the candidature of former banker Meera Sanyal from the seat for forthcoming elections.
“I will be the party’s youth wing leader till 2015 after which I will hand over the charge to another person. I am in the process of restructuring the state unit and make it a force to reckon with,” Azmi said.
SP has already announced the candidatures of Kamlesh Yadav and Raees Sheikh against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam in Mumbai North and NCP MP Sanjay Dina Patil in Mumbai North East, respectively.
He said he would take up the issue of certain housing societies refusing flats to Muslims, with city police commissioner Rakesh Maria and demand that such societies be booked under sections 149 of CrPC and 153 (a) and 298 of IPC.
“….Refusal is the violation of the right to live and own property,” Azmi said, adding that his party was against discrimination of any kind.
“If police fail to act in 15 days, SP would expose the housing societies it has identified by releasing tapes of the sting operation which has been carried out by our volunteers,” Farhan said.
The Azmi junior also demanded deployment of women constables at nakabandis in night.
“We will start by deploying our volunteers with cameras at nakabandis in South Mumbai to keep a check on how women drivers as well as those belonging to a particular community are treated,” he added.
Farhan had lost to Shiv Sena candidate Rupesh Mhatre in the 2010 by-election for Bhiwandi East Assembly seat which was won by his father in 2009 elections.
The senior Azmi had also won from Mankhurd and vacated the seat for his son, necessitating the by-election.
