Jubilee Hills bypoll: All eyes on 1.14 lakh Muslims; seniors lean toward BRS, youth root for Congress

Hyderabad: Who will the 33 per cent Muslims in Jubilee Hills vote for in the bypoll? With approximately 1.14 lakh Muslims in the constituency, all eyes are set on the political and social relationships which will influence voting patterns.

Divided between past and present

Currently, many Muslim individuals and groups are divided in their choice.

Those who had voted for Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) former MLA Maganti Gopinath are sticking to the option of voting for his wife Sunitha.

The by-election was necessitated following the death of Gopinath in June this year. The BRS has now fielded Sunitha as its candidate in a bid to retain the family’s hold over the constituency.

The senior citizens in the community think that the Congress party that came to power in 2023 has not represented the Muslims in the state as required.

“We have no representation in the state. There is no MLA, no MLC and no minister speaking for us. Why should we vote for Congress?” This is the common response from most senior citizens in the constituency.

Youth looking up at Naveen Yadav

However, Congress candidate Naveen Yadav is popular among the youth across the Backward Classes (BC) and the Muslims.

Yadav is a known face in the constituency. Most of the youth look up to him and are working for him in this election. The party has considerable support not only from the Yadav community but also from the youth groups campaigning for him.

But will the support from the Yadavs be enough to convince others?

“The campaign is yet to begin, but on the ground, a majority of people have already reached out to us. The cadre of Congress and AIMIM in the area are also supporting Naveen Yadav, and those who jumped from BRS to Congress are also now working for him. Hence, there are a good number of supporters,” explained a senior hotelier in the area, who has been closely listening to all those frequenting his place.

Silent watchers

Many silent watchers are observing the ongoing tactics at the ground level. Many fear Naveen Yadav for his background and remain tight-lipped on the enquiry into his actions.

‘Jubilee Hills ka Salman Khan’

One of the independent candidates for the bypoll is Salman Khan, founder of Hyderabad Youth Courage (HYC). He is also known as ‘Jubliee Hills ka Salman Khan’ and Chandawala to the constituents.

He has many other nicknames, and he is mostly known for collecting donations for Gaza. When asked for an opinion on him, people would reply in hushed whispers: “Gaza ke naam pe paisa leta (He takes money in the name of Gaza)” However, he has a high follower count on social media, where he posts his views as videos on Instagram and Twitter, which tend to go viral.

When asked if he would be able to make a difference, one sceptically said, “He will get a few votes.” Fighting as an independent candidate, Salman Khan's factor in Jubilee Hills might turn out to be interesting for votes.

Will AIMIM field a candidate of their own?

While AIMIM has so far maintained that it will support Naveen Yadav, there is a strong murmur among select circles that the party will field a candidate too.

“This will be done to show that they exist and that they are also an entity to be looked up to,” said observers.

What does the future hold for Jubilee Hills?

The fight looks tough, and there are many surveys being carried out by both Congress and BRS. Many independent surveys are also constantly on the ground to assess the mood of Muslims and their support levels.

Once the different parties begin their campaigns, the last-minute decisions on who to vote for to represent Jubilee Hills will take shape.