Shaik Janimun all set to become the first Muslim woman to occupy the prestigious zilla parishad chairperson seat in Andhra Pradesh.
She belongs to Kakumanu village in Guntur district. No Muslim woman was elected to the ZP chairperson post in the undivided AP.
Janimun was a graduate in computer sciences, was elected ZPTC member from her native mandal, Kakumanu, on TDP ticket. Though, party district leaders promised to make her ZP chief of Guntur for a full five-year term during the campaign for general elections, they changed their plans after the party returned to power.
At present, Janimun will hold the post for half the term whereas a woman BC ZPTC member will be given the post for remaining period. Election to zilla parishad chairperson will be held on Saturday.
TDP CM N Chandrababu Naidu cleared proposals sent by the district leadership to split the term between two woman leaders.
Janimun belongs to a poor family, was initially selected to contest ZPTC election by local MLA Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar after the Kamma dominant mandal was reserved for BC woman.
Her husband Gafoor was an engineering graduate give up the job in a multinational company to settle down in the village. Gafoor runs a Meeseva centre in his native Kommur village in the same mandal. Janimun’s father runs a small grocery shop in the village.
The TDP put forward the idea of a Muslim woman ZP chairperson as the principal minority community was annoyed over denial of a party ticket to Muslim candidate in the Guntur-East Assembly segment.
Although, the party at first wanted to give ZP vicechairman post to Kamma community, it decided to share the post with a Kapu leader. The chairperson’s post is being divided between Muslim and Gowda women, whereas vice-chairman’s post will be shared between Kamma and Kapu leaders.