Abu Salem hopes to contest UP assembly poll

Azamgarh, Jan 1 (UNI) Don Abu Salem hopes to contest the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll while his posters pasted all over Mubarakpur here greet people happy New Year and Baqrid.

Earlier, Salem -- awaiting verdict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case -- had sent more than 50,000 posters to Mubarakpur wishing people of the constituency during the twin festivals of Diwali and Eid.

However, the posters did not mention the name of the publishers -- which is mandatory as per law. Investigations in the case are still on.

This time, the posters have been sponsored by don's advocates Ashok Saravagi and Rashid Ansari.

The don had already expressed his wish to contest from Mubarakpur and approached all the national political parties for ticket.

Although Salem does not hail from Mubarakpur, his elder sister resides there. His brother-in-law Mohammad Takiuddin is spearheading his campaign. His family has been living in Saraimeer, Azamgarh district since 25 years.

After meeting the District Magistrate on October 28, Saravagi had said the don would contest the 2007 assembly election in any case and efforts to include his name in the poll electoral list would be started soon.

A court had already rejected his request to include his name in the electoral rolls.

Sub Divisional Magistrate of Naizamabad Vidhya Shankar rejected Salem's request to include his name in the electoral rolls.

The don had recently formed a political party in Mumbai.

On November 12, Azamgarh District Magistrate Subhash Chandra Sharma had sent all the documents of the case to Nizamabad tehsil as Salem was a resident of Pathankot locality under Saraimeer police station area, which comes under the same tehsil.

However, don's family said that they would take the case to the apex court.

Salem was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, and has been lodged in the Author Road jail. About eight cases are pending against him of which, three each are in Mumbai and Delhi and one each in Hyderabad and Lucknow.

The don has been charged with supplying of arms and explosives to carry out the Mumbai blasts, which had killed over 200 people.

UNI