Congress workers protest first list; selection of BC candidates for Muslim areas draws ire

Hyderabad: Terming the first list of MLA candidates released by the Congress party as ‘anti-Muslim’ which is not designed with the intention to fight the AIMIM in the Old City, party workers protested at the Gandhi Bhawan in Nampally on Sunday.

The party workers, including senior leaders, found fault with the party’s decision to give tickets for Muslim-dominated areas – Chandrayangutta, Bahadurpura and Yakutpura constituencies – to candidates from the Backward Classes.

The party had announced 55 names in the first list of candidates contesting in the ensuing Telangana Assembly elections. The list mentioned K Ravi Raju (Yakutpura), Rajesh Kumar Pullapati (Bahadurpura), Boya Nagesh (Chandrayangutta) and Sheikh Akbar (Malakpet).

‘Party’s image will take a hit’

“The list of candidates chosen to represent the party in the Old City is anti-Muslim. The party workers have worked tirelessly for the past year to gain the confidence of the people there. Now, with this list, we are going to face a backlash from the people there,” said Sameer Waliullah, president of the Hyderabad District Congress Committee.

“All these people (candidates) were nowhere on the list till last night. How come they cropped up today morning?” an angry Waliullah questioned the party.

“We are talking to the election observers and going to make a representation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge,” he added.

“How can candidates from the Backward Classes get votes from Muslim-dominated areas?” asked a BC leader. “We don’t stand a chance in those areas until and unless the Muslims support us. Those seats are AIMIM strongholds and the Muslims will vote for them and not for a BC leader.”

Unintended consequences

Anger is simmering among the party workers as they are worried about facing repercussions at the ground level in the Old City and also from the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen. The saga of revenge politics which plays out after elections can continue to affect the party’s image well into the future.

“We trusted the party and worked with the people in the Old City. If this is what the party does, where are we to go and what answer do we give people?” said a party leader who has borne the brunt of AIMIM in past elections.

Surprises in aspirants list

On August 29, Congress released the names of aspirants seeking a Congress ticket from various constituencies. Comparing the list with the candidates announced on Sunday throws light on how the selections happened.

In Bahadurpura, the aspirants listed were Mohammed Abdur Rahman, Mohammed Siraj Khan, Sheikh Mohammed Kaleemuddin, Mir Asad Ali, Mohammed Yousuf Danish and Rajesh Kumar Pullapati. The ticket was issued to Pullapati.

In Chandrayangutta, the aspirants were Aqeel Al Dayani, Boya Nagesh, Mohammed Riyaz, Parvathala Rajender, and Esa Bin Obaid Misri. The ticket was issued to Boya Nagesh.

In Yakutpurra, there were 10 aspirants for the ticket: K Ravi Raju, Mamidi Krishna Kumar, E Muthyan Yadav, Mamidi Gopi, Kirthi Vinay Kumar, Syed Majid Pasha, Syed Mustafa Qadri, Raju Yadav Putta, Syed Shoukaat and Syed Dilawar Hussain. The ticket was issued to K Ravi Raju

Curious case of Malakpet

Congress ticket for Malakpet constituency has divided the party as the candidate selected for Malakpet, Sheikh Akbar, did not even feature in the list of aspirants. There were seven applicants for Malakpet in the list released by the Congress party. But the ticket went to Googee properties owner Sheikh Akbar.

The seven names on the list at that time were C Srinivas, B Sriram Reddy, Arshad Shaik, Mohammed Nemath Khan, Mohammed Ahmeduddin, P Sanga Simha Reddy and A Madan Babu.

“Who is Sheikh Akbar?” asked a shocked Sameer Waliullah. “Where is his name in the list of aspirants? Why was he issued the Malakpet ticket? Is he even a member of the Congress party?”

Party workers have lodged a protest with the observers and are demanding changes in these constituencies.

“We cannot face the people in these constituencies now, let alone work for the chosen candidates,” rued another party worker. “We don’t want to engage with the local leadership. We want the central leadership to intervene and get it rectified,” said another worker.

With these being the tempo for their first list of candidates, will the Congress be able to garner any support in the Old City for the Assembly elections?