‘I represent all minorities, not just Muslims’

In his five-year journalism career, he had worked in many print establishments including the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ for a year. Barve is a rare non-Muslim face for the Hyderabad-centred All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, which is making its debut in the state elections this year and has fielded 26 candidates across the state.

Barve says, “I am the Dalit face for the party, not the non-Muslim. The aim of AIMIM is to work with all minorities who face problems, including Dalits and OBCs, or any other minority.”

Contesting his first election, Barve hopes to win since, he says,  the residents identify him as one of them.

On AIMIM’s strategy to target selective Muslim pockets, Ravi Yadav, the Kurla in-charge for  the party, says, “We are not targeting any particular community. We are a secular party.”

rohit.alok@expressindia.com