Know Your MLA: As mercurial as the Salar

Hyderabad: Starting his political career under the guardianship of his father Salar Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi as an MLA at the young age of 29, Akbaruddin Owaisi is one of Hyderabad’s favorite leaders who has been serving as an MLA for the sixth term.

Akbar is one of the fiery leaders in Hyderabad, and when he holds the mic either in assembly or during public meetings, he doesn’t fear in trashing the State as well as the Central government.

Following the attacks on him in the Old City in 2011, Akbar on several occasions expressed gratitude to the people of Hyderabad, especially women terming as them mother and sisters, who had prayed for his well-being during tough times. Akbar established Salar-e-Millat Educational Trust which runs a chain of Owaisi Schools of Excellence in Hyderabad at multiple locations, which provides free education to over 20,000 students in his KG to PG campuses.

Born on June 14, 1970, completed his Intermediate in 1988 from St Mary’s Junior College, Himayat Nagar. He discontinued his MBBS from Rajiv Gandhi Medical Sciences in Karnataka. A resident of Himayat Nagar, Akbar said that he was with his father since his teenage years. He used to visit departments, offices of Ministers and Chief Ministers with his father. “People of Hyderabad see Salar in me,” he says. Asad Owaisi also commented that, “He is Salar’s son, one has to make him calm with great difficulty.”

Akbar Owaisi came into politics following his father’s footsteps. He was a youth leader in the party at a very young age. In 1994, the then rebel MIM candidate Amanullah Khan floated his own party, the MBT, and won from the Chandrayangutta seat. Salar believed that only Akbar could defeat MBT and in 1999, Akbar contested and won the seat with majority of votes when he was 29 years. Since then, he has been the MLA of Chandrayangutta, and is now serving his sixth term as MLA. He assumed the position of floor leader in 2004.

During the 2018 and 2023 elections, Congress, BJP, and rival party MBT tried to defeat him, but all failed. Akbar was appointed Chairman of Telangana Public Accounts Committee in 2019 and being the senior most member of the Telangana Assembly, was appointed pro-tem Speaker on December 9, 2023.