Quamarul Islam, a young engineer, started his political career in the 1970s as a leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Kalaburagi. Nicknamed as ‘Sher-e-Karnataka’ (Tiger of Karnataka) he is also an educationist and mass leader.
Qamarul Islam, who made a bow into electoral politics as a Muslim League candidate by defeating heavyweights such as the former Minister, Mohammed Ali, Iqbal Ahmed Saradgi who contested on the Congress ticket, and Ustad Sadat Hussain (Janata Party) in the 1978 elections, has won the seat in the 1989, 1994, and 1999 elections after losing to Mr. Kanta in 1983 and 1985 elections.
He won the 1989 election on a Muslim League ticket, in the 1994 elections on the Indian National League ticket, and in the 1999 elections as a Congress candidate.
In 1996, he had resigned from Congress and join the Janata Dal for a short time to enter the Lok Sabha on a Janata Dal ticket. He quit his Parliament membership and joined Congress to contest the assembly polls again and became a minister for housing in S.M. Krishna’s cabinet.
Considered the senior-most Muslim leader from Hyderabad-Karnataka, he represented Kalaburgi six times in the State assembly. He is the only Muslim leader after Aziz Sait from Karnataka to be continuously elected.
He held the municipal administration and Waqf portfolio for three years in the Siddharamaiah cabinet, and was the first chairman of the Hyderabad-Karnataka Regional Development Board, and has served as chairman of Karnataka Housing Board, Karnataka Minority Commission and Karnataka Slum Board in the past.
He had long lasting relationships with senior leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, N. Dharam Singh and Mallikarjun Kharge. In 2016 he became a member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
An achiever
Qamar ul Islam was born to Noorul Islam in Gulbarga on 27 January 1948. He completed his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from PDA College of Engineering, Gulbarga.
He first stood elections in PDA and became the president of the students union, becoming the 1st and last Muslim student to hold the post of students union president in PDA College.
He was professionally an engineer, trader and industrialist, social worker, educationist and an avid sportsperson who enjoys cricket and table tennis during his leisure time.
Qamar Ul Islam has also chaired numerous charitable trusts such as Hazrath Shaik Minhajuddin Ansari Kallerawan Charitable Trust, running K.C.T. Engineering College, Polytechnic Colleges Gulbarga; Hyderabad Karnataka Urdu Front; Meraj Noor Educational and Charitable trust running B.Ed, B. Pharma, D. Pharma & Nursing Colleges and Al Qamar Nursing College.
Also Read: Prominent Muslim leader, former minster Qamarul Islam passes away
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