Shabbir Ali Opposition Leader in Telangana Council

Senior Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana State Legislative Council.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday wrote a letter to Legislative Council chairman Swamy Goud informing him that Shabbir Ali, who was the Deputy CLP leader, may be appointed as the Leader of the Opposition.

"The MLC tenure of D Srinivas, MLC and Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council, has been completed on March 29. The election for the filling up of the vacancies of the MLC seats in the Telangana Legislative Council has not been finalised. The Deputy Leader of the CLP, Shabbir Ali, may be appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Council till elections are held for the filling up of the vacancies," Uttam Kumar Reddy said in his letter.

Earlier, AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh wrote letters to the TPCC chief and the Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Assembly K Jana Reddy informing them about the Congress High Command's decision to appoint Shabbir Ali as the Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Council.

Shabbir Ali began his political career in the late 1970s in the NSUI, the student wing of the Congress party. Later he actively worked in the Youth Congress. He became an MLA from the Kamareddy constituency in the 1989 elections, and also a minister in Marri Chenna Reddy's cabinet at the age of 31.

Although he lost two successive elections in 1994 and 1999, he gained prominence in the Congress party. He got re-elected from Kamareddy in the 2004 elections, and served as a minister in Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's cabinet.

He was made an MLC after he lost the 2009 elections. He also lost the 2014 elections by a small margin from the Kamareddy seat.

Shabbir Ali emerged as a strong leader in the party after the formation of Telangana in June 2014. He was the major contender for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. However, he lost to D Srinivas by just one vote in the elections held on June 3, 2014. His elevation to the post of Opposition Leader became certain after Srinivas' term as MLC came to an end on March 29 this year. (INN)