Akbaruddin Owaisi's Mumbai rallies cause heartburn for Congress, Samajwadi Party

MUMBAI: His rallies are attracting more crowds then that of even Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis or Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, yet as Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's ( MIM) Akbaruddin Owaisi addresses huge rallies in Mumbai, it is only the Congress and the Samajwadi Party that are feeling the heat now.

Known for making communal statements, the younger Owaisi ­ brother of Asaduddin - has refrained from taking that path during his campaigns. He typically begins by attacking the Congress-NCP and then wraps up by targeting the BJP and Shiv Sena, and sometimes touches upon controversial issues such as the demolition of Babri Masjid.

But from the response during his rallies, it looks as if he is hitting the mark most of the time, especially with the youth.

Congress leaders are getting jittery about Akbaruddin's popularity and fear that their party's prospects are likely to be hit. "He is extremely popular among the youth -there are huge crowds cheering him.His popularity is a cause for concern," admitted a Congress leader on the condition of anonymity.

He even conceded that the party may get only around 35 to 40 seats in the coming BMC elections.