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Abu Asim Azmi | |
|---|---|
| Maharashtra State President of Samajwadi Party | |
| Assumed office 1995 | |
| Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 13 October 2009 | |
| Preceded by | constituency created |
| Constituency | Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar |
| Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 2002–2008 | |
| Constituency | Uttar Pradesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-08-08)8 August 1955 (age 70) |
| Political party | Samajwadi Party |
| Children | Farhan Azmi (son),Bushra Azmi (daughter),Farzeen Azmi (daughter) , Shehwar Azmi (daughter),Rushda Azmi (daughter) , Shehma Azmi (daughter) |
| Relatives | Ayesha Takia (daughter-in-law) |
| Residence(s) | Bandra,Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Alma mater | Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University |
| Occupation | Politician, businessman |
| Website | www |
Abu Asim Azmi (born 8 August 1955) is a member of theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents theMankhurd Shivaji Nagar Constituency, Mumbai. He belongs to theSamajwadi Party.[1]
He is the President of theMaharashtra state branch of theSamajwadi Party.[2] He currently representsMankhurd Shivaji Nagar ofMumbai Suburban District in theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Azmi entered politics and in 1995, under his leadership, theSamajwadi Party (SP) won two seats in the Maharashtra state assembly. In 2004, entering his first election cycle, Azmi was defeated byYogesh Patil of theShiv Sena from Bhiwandi constituency. From 2002 to 2008, Azmi was theMember of Parliament (MP) forRajya Sabha.
In the 2009Lok Sabha election, Azmi was defeated byGurudas Kamat (Congress). However, in 2009, Azmi was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly where he served for two terms. He successfully contested the seats ofMankhurd-Shivaji Nagar andBhiwandi (East), and under rules limiting successful candidates to one region, he chose Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar.
Azmi is the only MLA from Maharashtra to have won from 2 seats simultaneously in one election.[citation needed]
Azmi has secured three consecutive wins in hisMankhurd Shivaji Nagar Constituency from 2009 to 2024.
Key
| Election | Assembly Constituency | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar | Abu Azmi | Samajwadi Party | |
| 2014 | ||||
| 2019 | ||||
| 2024 | ||||
On 9 November 2009, Azmi was denounced and prevented by severalMLAs of theMNS from taking his oath inHindi and not in state official languageMarathi.[3] As a result of this incident, the speaker of theMaharashtra Legislative Assembly suspended the 4 MNS MLAs involved in the skirmish for a period of four years. The suspension was later revoked in July 2010.[4]
In December 2013, Azmi expressed disappointment after seeing Bollywood megastarAmitabh Bachchan share dais withRaj Thackeray.[5]
Following the trial in theShakti Mills gang rape and in the aftermath of the comments made by then SP chiefMulayam Singh Yadav in April 2014, Azmi toldMid-Day, "Any woman if, whether married or unmarried, goes along with a man, with or without her consent, should be hanged. Rape is punishable by hanging in Islam. But here, nothing happens to women, only to men. Even the woman is guilty. Girls complain when someone touches them, and even when someone doesn't touch them. It becomes a problem then ... If rape happens with or without consent, it should be punished as prescribed in Islam." He also said, "See, I don't know what context he said it in. But, at times, the wrong people are awarded the death penalty. Boys do it injosh (Hindi: excitement), but what can I say in this? The death sentence should be given. I won't speak against Islam."[6] Azmi's comments were widely criticized in India.[7] His daughter-in-law, actressAyesha Takia, expressed embarrassment and denounced Azmi for his comment.[8]MNS chief and leaderRaj Thackeray heavily lambasted Azmi andMulayam Singh Yadav for their comments and anti-women views while appearing onAap Ki Adalat.[9] Azmi received a show-cause notice for his comments.
In 2017, he commented on a Bengaluru molestation case saying that the molestation was bound to happen since women consider nudity as fashion. He added that women should not roam around in the dark barring when they are accompanied by male family members.[10][11]
Azmi again drew headlines during a debate on raising legal age of marriage for women for suggesting men to not be along with their daughters at home as the "devil" may descend on them.[12] He was reported saying “If my girl/daughter or sister is alone at home, then, my culture tells me to not stay alone with them. Theshaitan (devil) might take over your spirits….we have been witnessing many cases of rape committed by cousin brothers and fathers…this is what our ancestors have told us,” he explained. He also tried to support his ‘analysis’ by stating, “Meddling in the rules of Ishwar and Allah results in a disbalance in the society.”[13]
On 5 March 2025, Azmi was suspended from Maharashtra assembly for his remarks praising Aurangzeb.[14] A case against Azmi was registered by the Mumbai Police under sections 299, 302, 356 (1), and 356 (2) of theBharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He was granted an anticipatory bail by the civil sessions court for his comments.[15] SP party headAkhilesh Yadav questioned the suspension and said, "If some people think that by ‘suspension’ they can silence the truth, then it reflects their childish and negative thinking."[16]