UP Elections: Key To Owaisi's Expansion Plans For UP Is An 86-Year-Old In Sambhal | Read
Well past midnight, a large crowd has gathered inside a marriage hall to witness the oratorical prowess of 86-year-old Shafiqur Rehman Barq, who echoes the radicalism of Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the All India Majlis-e Ittahadul Muslimeen or AIMIM. For the first time, the party is contesting 40 seats in Uttar Pradesh - in the last state election five years ago, it did not participate. The quantum leap reflects Asaduddin Owaisi's ambition to turn his outfit into a national party with power extending far beyond its traditional reach of Telangana.
