Political Parties Struggle Over Minority Votes in Jubilee Hills
- Congress and BRS vie for Muslim support in by-election
- Minority votes become deciding factor as rivals trade accusations
Hyderabad, Nov 5 (Maxim News): With just days left for the Jubilee Hills by-election on November 11, the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) find themselves in a tight contest over the crucial minority vote bank. Despite both parties’ active efforts to woo Muslim voters, the 1.4 lakh-strong minority electorate remains divided, leaving political observers uncertain about which way the votes will swing.
The Muslim vote played a significant role in helping Congress form the Telangana government in the 2023 Assembly elections. However, Jubilee Hills presents a different challenge for the ruling party, as the constituency has historically favoured the BRS. To reinforce its appeal within the community, the Congress recently appointed Mohammed Azharuddin as the Minister for Minority Welfare and Public Enterprises. The move, timed ahead of the by-election, is being projected as evidence of the party’s commitment to minority representation.
Meanwhile, the BRS has accused the Congress of political opportunism. The party claims that Azharuddin’s cabinet induction is a strategic ploy designed only to influence the by-poll outcome. Political analyst Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail observed that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been accompanying Azharuddin throughout the campaign to consolidate minority support. “Apart from development and infrastructure, minorities require upliftment in terms of education, jobs, and employment,” Asif Hussain said, reflecting on the community’s broader aspirations.
The BRS working president, K T Rama Rao, alleged that the Congress is treating minorities as a mere vote bank. “Two years ago, it said it would allocate Rs 4,000 crore annually for minority welfare and introduce a Minority Sub-Plan. But both these promises were broken.
Two years have passed, and even in the next three years, they will not be able to deliver anything,” he stated. On the other hand, BJP Union Minister G Kishan Reddy criticised Revanth Reddy for allegedly acting under the influence of the Majlis Party, referring to him as a “Ji-Huzur,” adding another layer of political fire to the contest.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has extended support to Congress nominee V Naveen Yadav and is actively campaigning in minority-dominated areas.
In the 2023 Assembly election, AIMIM’s candidate Rashed Farazuddin received 7,848 votes, while Congress’s Azharuddin secured 64,212 votes, compared to BRS’s Maganti Gopinath, who won with 80,549. BJP’s Lankala Deepak Reddy polled 25,866 votes. As campaigning intensifies, the minority electorate is expected to play a decisive role in determining the outcome of this high-stakes by-election.
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