MIM Barred From Contesting Maharashtra Civic Polls, Owaisi to Appeal 

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been derecognized as a political party in Maharashtra and can no longer contest civic body elections in Mumbai.

Maharashtra’s election commission has said the MIM did not submit relevant documents for its registration.

“We issued several notices requesting them to submit income tax returns and their audit reports. But they did not submit them. That is why the party has been derecognized,” a spokesperson of the committee told NDTV.

Besides MIM, 191 other political parties have also been derecognized.

Imtiaz Jaleel, the party’s Aurangabad lawmaker, asserted that all relevant documents had been submitted. “This is simply shocking. We have submitted income tax returns for the past three years and all other relevant documents. We suspect there was political pressure,” Mr Jaleel said.

The decision means MIM cannot contest local body elections in Maharashtra, including panchayat and civic body polls. Next year’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections are crucial to the party’s plans to expand its base in Maharashtra, especially after it won two seats in the 2014 assembly elections.

Mr Owaisi’s party also won 11 seats in the Nanded municipal polls in 2012. However, MIM made its biggest impression in Aurangabad last year after bagging 26 of the 54 seats it contested and emerging as the second largest party in the civic polls.

MIM to appeal on EC order in Maharashtra

Hours after the Maharashtra Election Commission derecognised Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, a party spokesperson said they will go in for an appeal and submit tax returns to fulfil norms.

“Since the EC has now cancelled our registration, we will go in for an appeal before them, the moment we get a letter from the Election Commission,” said Aurangabad MLA Imtiaz Jaleel. The State EC had served a show-cause notice to the party four months ago.

The Maharashtra EC derecognised Hyderabad-headquartered AIMIM on Wednesday, for not filing proof of tax returns and audited accounts. A party official in Hyderabad said they will submit audited accounts and tax returns from 1989 to the Election Commission.

The derecognition comes at a crucial time for the party which is preparing to contest the 2017 elections for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the richest civic body in the country.