Former AAP councillor and northeast Delhi riots accused Tahir Hussain has joined AIMIM and was fielded by the party from the Mustafabad constituency for the upcoming assembly polls.
In a post on X on Tuesday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Delhi unit president Shoaib Jamai said Hussain had "officially" joined the party.
The wife, son and other family members of Hussain, who is currently lodged in jail, were present on the occasion on his behalf, said Jamai.
The party shared photos of Hussain's family members meeting AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Hussain "will be the party's candidate" from the Mustafabad constituency in the assembly elections due in February, Jamai said.
"This decision by us will play a crucial role in the campaign for justice to the Delhi riots victims," he added.
Over 50 people have been reported killed and hundreds left injured as communal violence, which started a few days ago after the assembly polls in February 2020, continued late into Sunday night.
The city court has granted bail to Hussain in one of the 2020 Delhi riots cases in May.
The court had said that his role in the riots was "remote in nature" and he had already spent more than three years in custody.
However, Hussain remained in jail in other cases of rioting.
Earlier this month, Delhi High Court quashed an FIR against Hussain, observing the existence of a similar case against him.
He was expelled by AAP after his name figured in connection with the riots.
Meanwhile, the BJP accused AIMIM of conspiring to disrupt peace by nominating Hussain to contest the polls.
BJP Delhi unit vice-president Kapil Mishra said in a press conference that the AIMIM's move to nominate Hussain reflected its "clear intention" to spread "communal discord" in the city.
He himself was accused by many of delivering a speech that had led to violence in northeast Delhi during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
"Attempts to replicate 2020 must not be repeated as Delhi's wounds have not yet healed and we remain fully vigilant," Mishra said.
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