Did AIMIM corporator’s father join Shiv Sena? Here is the truth

Mumbai: Yunus Shaikh, the father of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Mumbra corporator Sahar Shaikh, was at the centre of political speculation on Thursday, October 15, when local Marathi news reported he had joined Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He has since cleared the air.

Speaking to the media, he dismissed the reports. “I have not joined the Shiv Sena. I am with AIMIM, and will work for Mumbra people’s welfare,” he said.

“I run a cable and internet business. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has offered me the president’s position in the Akhil Bharatiya Cable organisation for the Kalwa-Mumbra area,” he said.

Yunus Sheikh has been providing cable and internet services in Mumbai for the last four decades. “Even if the appointment letter bears the Shiv Sena’s name, and I wear a scarf bearing their party’s symbol, it does not mean that I switched. If I want to join the Shiv Sena, there is nothing stopping me. I can do so whenever I wish,” he said.

He said that his association with Shiv Sena goes back to his and his father’s friendship with Chief Minister Shinde. “My father and I share a good relationship with Eknath Shinde. He never forgets his old associates or their families. Whenever we face difficulties, he has always stood firmly by us, and he continues to do so even now,” Yunus Shiekh said.

AIMIM Sahar Sheikh kaise harayaa remarks

His daughter, Sahar Shaikh, was elected as the Mumbra corporator after winning the Thane Municipal Corporation election. Her victory speech, “Kaise haraya. In the next five years, every candidate in Mumbra will be from AIMIM. Mumbra must be completely painted green,” brought her into the Hindutva radar and the state’s political circles.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya filed a complaint against her, claiming the remarks were provocative and intended to incite communal tension. She was issued a notice by the Maharashtra Police under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM registered significant gains in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) elections, bagging five of the 131 seats and outperforming parties like Congress, which failed to open its account, and Shiv Sena (UBT), which secured just one seat.