Hyderabad: The ruling Congress is unlikely to give the ticket for the Jubilee Hills by-poll to a Muslim candidate, including former Indian cricket team captain Mohd Azharuddin. Party leaders said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may polarise minority votes which may help the main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to win.
In the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, Azharuddin was the Congress candidate. He lost to BRS leader Maganti Gopinath, whose death recently is what has necessitated the upcoming by-election. Gopinath secured 80,549 votes, while Congress candidate and former Indian cricket team captain Mohd Azharuddin came second with 64,212 votes. BJP’s Lanka Deepak Reddy also managed to secure over 25000 votes, while AIMIM candidate Rasheed Farazuddin came fourth with 7848 votes.
“A Muslim candidate may not get the seat for the Jubilee Hills by-election as the BJP may use that to polarise it. There are about 1.3 lakh votes of Muslim votes, out of which maybe 45000 to 50000 people may vote. And to beat the BRS we need about 80000 to 90000 votes. If there any polarisation then the Muslim candidates will lose. Azharuddin is a different case as he is more of a celebrity but he has no connect on the ground,” a Congress leader who worked in the constituency told Siasat.com
He added that the Congress needs a pubic friendly candidate to win the Jubilee Hills by-election. “Moreover, locals prefer a person from the area itself. If Azhar loses for a second time his career will be over. He is a celebrity and not a politician,” the Congress leader added.
While parties have not formally announced their candidates for the Jubilee Hills by-election, Azharuddin has said that he is willing to contest. However Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Goud later clarified that the party will decide and take a call. Moreover, this time the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will also support the ruling Congress which is likely to help.
The AIMIM had supported the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which won the Jubilee Hills seat, in the December 2023 Assembly polls by putting up a candidate who drew a chunk of Muslim votes which would have otherwise gone to the Congress.
