HYDERABAD, Dec 7: A former MPA and MQM’s ex-zonal incharge, Hyderabad Salahuddin, and Tayyab Hussain will be candidates for two of the three National Assembly seats in the district during the next general elections.

Their candidature was announced by MQM chief Altaf Hussain at a general workers meeting during his telephonic address.

Former MPA Salahuddin, who until recently was looking after the party’s minority wing in Karachi after serving as a zonal incharge in Hyderabad, will fight for the NA-220 (Hyderabad city) seat while Tayyab Hussain, who had returned from America, has been contesting for NA-219 (Latifabad).

Salahuddin had won a provincial assembly’s seat by beating MMA’s candidate.

He remained the party’s zonal incharge till local bodies’ polls in 2005, before Siraj Rajput took over as local head of the party.MQM had been winning both the NA seats of the city since 1988, but it was only in 2002 the party lost NA-220 for the first time to Sahibzada Abdul Khair Mohammad Zubair of MMA, as MQM’s Aftab Ahmed Sheikh was beaten by a narrow margin.

MQM had also lost PS-45 which is attached with NA-220 to MMA’s Abdul Rehman Rajput, who has now intends to contest as PML candidate after leaving the MMA. Farooq Qureshi was the MQM’s candidate, who then challenged the election result in a tribunal but could not win the seat even after re-counting of votes.

For the third seat, NA-221which had been carved out in last general elections, MQM has fielded Mumtaz Chandio.

PPP’s Syed Ameer Ali Shah Jamote had won this seat comfortably in the last polls.

The party’s candidates for

PS-45, 46, 47, 48 and 49 of Hyderabad district are Akram Adil, Wasim Hussain, Aziz Soomro, Zubair Ahmed Khan and Sohail Yusuf Khan respectively.