Akbar Uddin Owaisi

Akbaruddin Owaisi, the younger of the Owaisi brothers representing the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party, has faced numerous challenges in his political journey. He almost parted ways with the party after facing disapproval for his marriage to a Christian lady. Despite imprisonment for hate speech, he remains a sensational figure in Telangana. Currently representing the Chandrayangutta constituency in the Telangana Assembly, he successfully won five consecutive Assembly polls from Chandrayangutta in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2018. Growing up amid communal tensions, especially during the tumultuous times surrounding the Babri Masjid demolition, he actively participated in distributing relief during the Mumbai riots while his brother and AIMIM chief, Asaduddin Owaisi, studied law in London. Akbaruddin was brutally attacked in April 2011 while traveling in his constituency. In 2012, he spent 40 days in jail following an inflammatory speech in Nirmal. In 2007, his threats against Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen resulted in her assault by AIMIM legislators in Hyderabad during the release of the Telugu translation of her book Shodh. He has multiple criminal cases across the country, primarily related to promoting enmity between different religious groups and disobeying law and order. He is seeking re-election from the same seat, Chandrayangutta, this time as well.