LJP goes by popular choice: Khurram for Chandni Chowk
Lok Janshakti Party Vice-President Shoaib Iqbals nephew Khurram Iqbal will contest from the Chandni Chowk constituency after the Lok Janshakti Partys Matia Mahal MLA shifted to Northeast constituency.
Lok Janshakti Party Vice-President Shoaib Iqbals nephew Khurram Iqbal will contest from the Chandni Chowk constituency after the Lok Janshakti Partys Matia Mahal MLA shifted to Northeast constituency.
Iqbal,who is said to wield influence among Muslim voters in the area,said party leaders wanted him to contest the elections from Chandni Chowk because of the high percentage of Muslim voters.
Khurram,27,is a sitting councillor from Jama Masjid and has been involved in politics for more than seven years. The decision to give him a ticket was taken at a meeting on Thursday where party leaders gleaned the names of possible candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.
Abdul Khaliq,the national general secretary of the LJP,said the meeting would run well into the night. The names of the candidates would be announced on Friday and they would file their nominations on Saturday.
The decision to field Khurram was unanimous. He had polled more than 10,000 votes in the last Assembly elections. Though he was defeated,he performed well, Iqbal said.
While his name was doing the rounds for quite sometime,it was finalised in the last three days,Khurram said.
Im very happy to get the ticket. Inshallah,I will get more votes than my uncle, Khurram said. And no,I am not afraid of stalwarts like Kapil Sibal.
Khurram,a graduate,owns a garment export business in addition to the family-run hotel in Daryaganj.
In his campaign,which will begin soon after he files his nominations on Saturday,Khuram said he would raise the issue of lack of basic amenities like water and electricity and work towards creating a development board for the Walled City.
Iqbals brother Ubead Iqbal,too,is a politician from the area.