Hours after the announcement of the poll schedule for the Delhi Assembly by EC, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Tuesday announced its candidate from the Oklha constituency. AIMIM has fielded Shafur Rehman as a party candidate from Okhla. He is the chairman of the Jamia Alumni Association.
Posting on X, the party said, "An appeal is made to all the voters of the Okhla Assembly constituency to make Shafa ur Rehman Khan victorious with the largest number of votes by pressing the button on the kite symbol on February 5."
According to the information, he was also active during the CAA protest in Jamia and Shaheen Bagh. He is currently lodged in jail. He is fielded against Aam Aadmi Party candidate and incumbent MLA Amanatullah Khan. Rehman is the second accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case who has been given a party ticket in Delhi. Earlier, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party fielded Tahir Hussian from the Mustafabad constituency.
Earlier, AIMIM's Delhi unit president Shoaib Jamei had said that AIMIM plans to contest 12 seats in the upcoming polls and the party was finalising candidates. A few days ago, Jamei met the family of another riot accused Shahrukh Pathan. After the meeting, he said that the party was considering Pathan's name, but no decision was made till then.
During the riots, Pathan had allegedly pointed a gun at a policeman, and later his picture with the gun went viral on social media. He was subsequently arrested and has been in jail since.
Earlier in the day, the EC announced poll dates for 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly, As per the EC schedule, voting for all the seats will be held in one phase on February 5. The counting of votes and subsequent declaration of result will take place on Feruary 8.
