Tag Archives: Hasina Faras-First Muslim Woman Mayor of Kolhapur

Nationalist Congress Party’s Hasina Faras elected Kolhapur mayor

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , ,

Kolhapur, MAHARASHTRA :

Hasina Faras
Hasina Faras

Kolhapur :

The general body of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Thursday elected Nationalist Congress Party’s Hasina Faras as the next mayor and Congress nominee Arjun Mane as the deputy mayor.

Kunal Khemnar, the chief executive officer of the zilla parishad, presided over the meet to elect mayor and deputy mayor.

The posts were vacant for the past few weeks after mayor Ashwini Ramane and deputy mayor Shama Mulla resigned.

Faras and Mane defeated Bharatiya Janata Party-Tararani Aghadi alliance candidates Smita Mane and Vijay Khade. Despite having less numbers in the house, the opposition alliance had decided to contest the election. Four Shiv Sena corporators abstained from voting, giving as easy win to the ruling alliance.

In the 81-member house, Faras and Mane secured 44 votes each, while the opposition candidates got 33. The opposition was banking on the support of four Sena corporators and was also aiming to get a few more corporators from either Congress or NCP. However, the ruling alliance had issued a whip to their members to vote for the official nominees. To avoid any unfavourable results, all 44 corporators of the ruling alliance were taken to an undisclosed location for two days and were brought directly to the meeting. The voting by raising hands made it easy for the floor leaders to keep a watch on the corporators and to avoid any defection.

Faras is wife of former mayor Babu Faras and mother of former standing committee chairman Adil Faras. She is the first Muslim woman to hold the mayor’s post in the KMC. Faras is close to NCP leader Hasan Mushrif but she may get just a six-month term before stepping down to pave way for other corporators from NCP to become mayor.

Faras said, “I will push the Mahalakshmi temple development plan and also ensure that the Wi-Fi project for the city is initiated. The second phase work of renovation of Keshavrao Bhosale Natyagruha is pending; I will try to get funds from the state government for it.”

The project of Wi-Fi hot spots at various places in the city was proposed by her son Adil when he was chairman of the standing committee. After the new body came into place last year, the project has been on the back burner.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kolhapur News / TNN / December 09th, 2016

Woman who defied clerics is now mayor of Kolhapur

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , ,

Kolhapur, MAHARASHTRA :

Hasina Faras, 61, has become the first Muslim woman to bag the post of Mayor in Kolhapur
Hasina Faras, 61, has become the first Muslim woman to bag the post of Mayor in Kolhapur

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HIGHLIGHTS

  1. Despite a fatwa issued by a local Muslim cleric body last year warning Muslim women to not contest the municipal elections, 19 women had filed for candidacy.
  2. Five women were elected as corporators including the newly elected mayor of Kolhapur, Hasina Faras
  3. ________________________________________________

 

Kolhapur :

When Hasina Faras wanted to contest the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls last year, she was warned by a local body of 40-50 clerics that it was un-Islamic to do so. In fact, the clerics of the Majlis-e-Shoora-Ulama-e-Shahar had then issued a fatwa to all Muslim women not to stand for polls.

However, 19 Muslim women defied the fatwa and contested. Five of them, including Faras, were elected as corporators. A year down the line, 61-year-old Faras has become the first Muslim woman to bag the post of mayor in Kolhapur.

Political twists and turns and challenges are not new to Faras, whose family has been associated with the NCP. The religious challenge had posed a new hurdle, but she said support from her family and members of the community helped her face it.

“The fatwa went against the democratic values of the country. Kolhapur has the great legacy of  Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. We did not pay attention to the fatwa and contested the elections. Society has changed and we have to accept the changes. Muslim women have entered every sphere of life. I will stand against extrajudicial elements in future too if similar fatwas are issued,” Faras told TOI on Wednesday.

With 50% reservation for women in the local civic bodies, the 81-member KMC House has 42 women corporators belonging to all major political parties. The mayor’s post is to be rotated between NCP and Congress after an agreement was worked out between the two ruling alliance partners last year. However, with the opposition fielding a candidate, polls were necessitated this year.

source: http://www.timeofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kolhapur News / by Shekhar Paigude / December 15th, 2016