Hyderabad Region: BRS, Congress, AIMIM And BJP In Fray (image: pixabay)
Reports predicts a tripartite struggle in Hyderabad region, where some seats involves a four-way fight with Asaduddin Owaisi“s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) in the picture. The results concerning 32 constituencies – 24 urban and 8 semi-urban – in Hyderabad would influence the final picture of Telangana assembly elections results.
Hyderabad region, especially Old Hyderabad, remain as the bastion of AIMIM for so long and this time the party is contesting in nine seats, instead of the seven it won in 2018. Charminar, Nampally, Chandrayangutta, Bahadurpura, Malakpet, Yakutpura, and Karwan – the seven seats in Old Hyderabad touted as the strongholds of AIMIM and as critical constituencies in Telangana political landscape as well.
In Hyderabad”s Jubilee Hills constituency, the former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin is making his debut in his native Telangana state by contesting on Congress ticket. Though he is considered as a vote-puller, AIMIM which considers Congress as its principal opponent and BRS as “friendly ally”, is fielding its candidate Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin, local councillor and popular face in the neighbourhood, is likely to cut the votes and favour BRS’s sitting MLA, Maganti Gopinath. This challenge posed Congress to allege that AIMIM is trying to split the Muslim votes which otherwise Mohammad Azharuddin could win by securing a large proportion of community vote and thereupon dwindling BRS”s chances. The Jubilee Hills comprises 1.2 lakh Muslim votes constituting around 35 per cent of the total vote share.
The constituencies, i.e., regions surrounding the state capital and the erstwhile undivided Ranga Reddy district, is majorly an IT corridor and also abundant with other industries. Besides, Hyderabad region caters diverse range of population, which includes early settlers from Andhra Pradesh and migrants from other states. As Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is not contesting in election, and indirectly supporting Congress, it seems a notable population of registered migrant voters likely to vote for the Congress.
“Muslims who are poor tend to vote for the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-i-Ittehadul Muslimeen in Hyderabad and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in the rest of the state. However, more well-off Muslims are now moving towards the Congress, attracted in part by Rahul Gandhi’s popularity and his strong communal amity pitch during the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” the scroll. in observes.
There is mixed reactions regarding how BJP going to fare in the Hyderabad”s election landscape, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi held two election rallies in the state”s capital. BJP, in alliance with Pawan Kalyan”s Jana Sena Party (JSP) is contesting in eight seats: Kukatpally, Uppal, LB Nagar, Malkajgiri, Serilingampally, Patancheru, Quthbullapur, and Sanathnagar. In Hyderabad”s Goshamahal where BJP is strong, their controversial MLA T Raja Singh is expecting a hat-trick. Similarly, in Khairatabad a strong fight between sitting MLA and former minister Danam Nagendra of the BRS and Chintala Ramachandra Reddy of the BJP is anticipated. Aside from some urban regions in Hyderabad, reports says BJP”s upswinging victory is doubtful in other regions.
Meanwhile, the 2018 Assembly elections in these constituencies marked considerable victory for BRS by garnering 21 of the 32 seats whereas AIMIM, Congress, and BJP secured seven, three and one respectively.
