Battle for UP: Owaisi's AIMIM announces nine candidates

The seats on which AIMIM has fielded candidates are Loni (Ghaziabad), Garh Mukteshwar and Dhaulana (Hapur), Siwal Khan, Sardhana, and Kithore (all Meerut), Behat in Saharanpur, Bareilly, and Saharanpur rural.

Lucknow:Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has announced candidates for nine Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh by releasing their first candidates' list on Sunday. State President of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Shaukat Ali unveiled the list.

The seats on which AIMIM has fielded candidates are Loni (Ghaziabad), Garh Mukteshwar and Dhaulana (Hapur), Siwal Khan, Sardhana and Kithore (all Meerut), Behat in Saharanpur, Bareilly, and Saharanpur rural.

Following are the names of the candidates and their constituencies. Dr. Mahtab from Loni, Ghaziabad Furkan Chaudhary from Garhmukteshwar, Hapur, Haji Arif from Dhaulana, Hapur, Rafat Khan from Siwal Khas, Meerut, Zeeshan Alam from Sardhana, Meerut, Taslim Ahmed from Kithore, Meerut, Amjad Ali from Behat, Saharanpur, Shaheen Raza Khan from Bareilly 124, Bareilly and Margub Hasan from Saharanpur Dehat, Saharanpur

Owaisi's party is planning to contest 100 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and with the announcement of nine candidates, the party has also put an end to the speculations of alliance with any other political party. If reports are to be believed, Asaduddin Owaisi was constantly in touch with the Samajwadi Party and wanted an alliance, but SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav reportedly did not trust Owaisi's party.

Now, the Hyderabad-based party is waging a lone battle in big-ticket Uttar Pradesh elections.