AP: AIMIM President Salahuddin Owaisi no more

Hyderabad, Sep 30: All India Majlis Ittaheed-ul-Musleemin (AIMIM) President Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi died at a corporate hospital here last night after a prolonged illness.

He was 72 and is survived by wife, three sons and a daughter.

His elder son Asaduddin Owaisi is AIMIM, MP while his second son Akbaruddin Owaisi leads the AIMIM group in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. His youngest son Burhanuddin Owaisi is publisher of an Urdu daily Etemaad.

The body would be kept at Darusalam, the headquarters of AIMIM to enable people to pay their last respects. He will be buried at Aga Dawood Saheb Darga at Agapura with state honours after the ''Zoar (noon) prayers.'' The State Government has delcared a holiday in the city today as a mark of respect.

A leading figure who dominated Muslim politics in Hyderabad, Owaisi was a five time Legislator of Andhra Pradesh Assembly and six time member of Lok Sabha from Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency.

In between, he was also Speaker of the State Assembly for one month when Telugu Desam Party patriot N T Rama Rao was removed from Chief Ministership for a month in 1984.

Owaisi, who dominated the political scenario for nearly five decades made his political foray in 1960 as corporator from Mallepalli in the Hyderabad Corporation. He entered the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly within two years in 1962 after he was elected from Pattergatti constituency.

A veteran of electoral battles all through his long political career, he steered the party through turbulent times during the last 33 years.

Affectionately called Salar (leader) by his supporters, Salahuddin succeeded his father as MIM president in 1975 and was re-elected for six consecutive terms and held the post till his death.

UNI