Shaikpet corporator Mohammed Farazuddin is AIMIM’s candidate from Jubilee Hills constituency

Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has announced that they will be fielding Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin as their MLA candidate for the Jubilee Hills constituency for the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections. Farazuddin is currently serving as the Shaikpet corporator.

The announcement was made by MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. Farazuddin expressed his gratitude to Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi for nominating him as the AIMIM candidate for Jubilee Hills.

Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin @MohdRashedFaraz AIMIM Shaikhpet corporator will be our MLA candidate from Jubilee Hills constituency.

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) November 6, 2023

Farazuddin’s competition for the Jubilee Hills seat includes Mohammad Azharuddin, a former MP and former captain of the Indian cricket team, contesting from a Congress ticket. The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has retained sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath, who initially won the seat in 2014 as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate but later joined BRS (then TRS). He continued to hold the seat in 2018.

Azhar’s selection brought rifts

The Congress’s decision to field Azharuddin has triggered discontent within the party ranks, with P Vishnuvardhan Reddy, a former MLA, who had hopes of securing the party ticket, ultimately leaving the Congress and joining BRS along with his supporters. Vishnuvardhan had previously represented Jubilee Hills in 2009 but faced electoral defeats in 2014 and 2018.

In 2014, the AIMIM had fielded V Naveen Yadav for the Jubilee Hills constituency, who came second, losing to Gopinath by 9,242 votes. However, in 2018, AIMIM did not nominate a candidate for this constituency, and Naveen Yadav contested as an independent, finishing third.

AIMIM trying for nine seats in Hyderabad

AIMIM, which maintains an amicable relationship with BRS, recently declared its intent to contest nine Assembly seats, all within Hyderabad, including the prestigious Jubilee Hills and Rajendranagar constituencies.

While the AIMIM has already disclosed its candidates for several constituencies, the candidates for Rajendra Nagar and Bahadurpura have yet to be announced. For the remaining constituencies, AIMIM has pledged its support to BRS.

Changes in candidates have also taken place within AIMIM, with Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri and Mumtaz Ahmed Khan from the Yakhutpura and Charminar constituencies being replaced by sitting Nampally MLA Jaffer Hussain Meraj and former mayor Zulfiqar Ali. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has affirmed that these candidates will remain associated with AIMIM during the elections.