Hyderabad: In a first after over a decade, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi indirectly asked the public to vote for Congress candidates in Telangana for the Lok Sabha election, with the exception of Hyderabad parliamentary constituency. This is a major departure from his earlier stance, which has been against the grand old party.
At the AIMIM’s final public meeting for the Lok Sabha election campaign at Khilwat, Hyderabad on May 11, Owaisi indirectly asked his supporters to vote for Congress, describing Congress candidates. However, in the case of Hyderabad, he asked the public to vote for AIMIM.
Asaduddin Owaisi did not extend support to BRS
This is the first time since Telangana was formed that Owaisi has not extended support to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). This however is in tune with recent developments as state Congress leaders after last year’s Assembly elections reached out to Asaduddin Owaisi and AIMIM to work together.
In the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in Telangana tomorrow, Congress is hoping to win the maximum seats whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to increase its count in the state. Telangana has 17 Parliamentary seats, of which the Congress won only three in 2019, while the BJP got four and the BRS nine.
On the other hand, BRS, which lost power in the state in the recently held Telangana Assembly polls, is desperately aiming to improve its performance.
Hyderabad Lok Sabha seats
In Hyderabad, though many candidates have filed their nominations, the main contest is between AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi and BJP’s Madhavi Latha. The AIMIM has held the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat since 1984. The Congress has also fielded its Hyderabad district president Sameer Waliullah, while the BRS has nominated Gaddam Srinivas.
Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, as an independent candidate, represented the constituency between 1984-89. From 1989 to 2004, the Lok Sabha constituency was represented by Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi as an AIMIM MP. Asaduddin Owaisi has been the MP from the Hyderabad constituency since 2004, and if he wins the seat again, it will be his fifth consecutive win.
