Telangana elections 2023: Congress eyes minority votes in Jubilee Hills constituency

Hyderabad: In Hyderabad, after the Old City, Jubilee Hills houses a large number of minority voters which can significantly impact the outcomes of the ensuing Telangana Assembly elections. The state is set to vote for its next government on November 30.

Over the last nine years, the Congress has failed to secure the election of even a single MLA from the Muslim community, while the AIMIM has won seven seats, and the ruling BRS party has claimed one.

While the Congress and the BJP are still engaged in a fierce inner battle for finalising their candidates, the BRS has already declared its support for the incumbent MLA of Jubilee Hills, Maganti Gopinath.

Congress banks on Azhar’s popularity

Notably, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, Mohammad Azharuddin and P Vishnuvardhan Reddy, a former representative of the constituency, are vying for Congress nominations. Party leader Aamer Javeed has also applied for the ticket and has been waiting to hear the good news.

However, a month ago, Azhar, also the Telangana Congress working president, announced that he would be contesting the upcoming Assembly elections. News from the inner circles says that he has his eyes on the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat.

Currently, there is an intense competition between Azharuddin and Vishnuvardhan Reddy, the son of the late four-time MLA P Janardhan Reddy.

Vishnuvardhan, who represented Jubilee Hills on a Congress ticket in 2009, aims to contest from the same constituency in the upcoming polls, despite losing to Gopinath in the 2014 and 2018 elections. While Azhar reportedly enjoys the support of party veterans, Vishnu draws on his family’s political legacy, though he faces a challenge in establishing rapport with TPCC president A Revanth Reddy.

Talking to NewsMeter, Aamer Javeed said, “The scope of giving the ticket to someone from the minority community is high. Azharuddin and I are competing for the same seat, while it is quite certain that Vishnuvardhan Reddy will not be getting the ticket. I have suggested that the party seek Azhar’s help to campaign across all Telangana constituencies and not just Jubilee Hills. Since he was a member of Lok Sabha having him participate in the campaign across the state would have a huge positive impact on the party’s prospects for the upcoming polls.”

He further added that with Jubilee Hills consisting of 40 per cent minority voters, its residents are likely to favour a candidate from the minority community.

In the 2014 elections, AIMIM candidate Naveen Yadav secured the second position, with Maganti Gopinath winning as a TDP candidate by a narrow margin of just 9,000 votes. This slim difference underscores AIMIM’s significant support from the minority community.

BJP might field a women candidate

Jubilee Hills, known for its upscale location, attracts several businesspersons, professionals, and celebrities from various parties seeking nominations. While BRS candidate Gopinath is a film producer, the BJP is considering three women for the Jubilee Hills ticket: businesswoman Keerti Reddy, professional Dr Padma Veerapaneni, and actress Jeevitha.

Former TDP leader Lankala Deepak Reddy is also seeking the ticket from the party. Interestingly, none of the four candidates have prior party affiliations; all have recently joined their respective parties.

Despite the BJP’s limited representation of women MLAs and MLCs in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, women leaders and activists in the party are enthusiastic about securing tickets for the upcoming Assembly polls.

The BJP Mahila Morcha’s Delhi unit has expressed gratitude to prime minister Narendra Modi for introducing the Women’s Reservation Bill, which will reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. Meanwhile, former BJP MLA Mamta Meena has resigned from the party and is expected to join the AAP after being denied an Assembly ticket.