New Delhi

Former External Affairs Minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid who was elected President of the India Islamic Cultural Center (IICC) on Wednesday evening said he proposed to bring in sweeping reforms in the organisation including reservations for women and holding elections every three years.

Khurshid won what became the most contested elections to this 'elite' club in the 20 years of its existence. He defeated others in a seven-cornered contest with a convincing margin.

His election ends the uninterrupted and long tenure of Siraj Qureshi.

Salman Khurshid proposed to curtail the term of the Board of Trustees from five to three years and also change rules so that nobody holds the position of President of the IICC for more than two terms.

Speaking with Awaz-The Voice, Salman Khurshid said that the experience of victory was good but it adds to his responsibilities.

Khurshid secured 721 of the 1662 votes polled, defeating his rivals with a good margin in a seven-corner contest.

Mohammad Furqan Qureshi secured 362 votes and was elected vice-president of the IICC.

Salman Khurshid's team celebrating his victory

Three women have won to be as office bearers of the IICC Managing Committee.

Salman Khurshid said that he will propose changing in rules to reserve at least one seat in the Managing committee for women.

"IICC is an Islamic center; not a Muslim center, hence it is the responsibility of all of us that IICC becomes the center of Ganga-Jamuna culture," he said.

Spelling out his agenda, Khurshid said, "This institute will be the first place in the country to give place to other religious denominations and would reserve seats for them."

He also plans to have branches of IICC in different states.

Salman Khurshid won against six other candidates viz: Dr Majid Talikoti, a renowned cancer surgeon and national convenor of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, Afzal Amanullah, and Abrar Ahmed, former bureaucrats, and Asif Habib, a businessman.

This change in IICC's leadership has come after 20 years. Earlier, Sirajuddin Qureshi was elected as President four times in a row. He will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Salman Khurshid and his supporters waiting for results

Voting for seven trustees and four executive committee members was held on August 11, with 75 candidates in the fray for 13 posts.

The counting of votes lasted for three days and the results were declared on Wednesday evening. IICC, located at Lodhi Road in the Letyen's Zone of New Delhi, is a society set up to showcase and promote Indian Islamic culture and work on communal harmony in India.

Its members are mostly bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen making it one of the elite social clubs in Delhi.

The Board of Trustees of the IICC is elected every five years. In the last election, Sirajuddin Qureshi defeated Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.

The founders of the IICC include Justice Hidayatullah, Begum Abida Ahmed, Hakeem Abdul Hameed, Chaudhary Arif Khan, Syedna Burhanuddin, Musa Raza, Sirajuddin Qureshi, and Riyaz Ahmed.

The foundation stone of the IICC building was laid on 24 August 1984 and it was inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi on 12 June 2006.

After he won the election, Salman Khurshid said, "This victory is not mine alone; it's everyone's. The responsibility of working in IICC is not only of the winning officials, rather we have elected 300-400 such people who work for this institution with dedication." 

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Khurshid also said that the membership of IICC is not something to be carried around. "It must be used properly. We should be discreet while admitting new members and we should form a membership committee for this."