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    Telangana: Several Plots, subplots for muslim votes in Hyderabad & beyond

    Synopsis

    AIMIM, which debuted in (united) AP assembly in 1962 with one seat, managed its best show in the 2014 Telangana elections when it won seven out of 20 seats it contested.

    Asaduddin-Owaisi-agenciesAgencies
    AIMIM is contesting in its six sitting seats in the Old City of Hyderabad, one sitting seat in Secunderabad, and a seat in Rajendranagar.
    KARIMNAGAR: Asaduddin Owaisi, the Hyderabad-based firebrand leader of AIMIM, might well be the most visible Muslim leader in Telangana going by television bytes, but his party wouldn’t be the biggest beneficiary of the “Muslim factor” in Friday’s elections.

    The minority community, estimated to be 12.7% of the state’s population, is seen as a big factor in 40-45 of the 119 constituencies. Political observers estimate that 29 assembly segments have more than 15% Muslim voters, while 13 have 10-15% Muslims, and 43 seats have high single-digit Muslim presence.

    Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Secunderabad and Mahbubnagar are among districts with notable Muslim presence.

    Owaisi may have built for himself a an image as a fast-rising Muslim leader determinedly working to spread his party as far as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra, yet his AIMIM, or MIM, is confined to contesting just eight seats in Telanagana.

    AIMIM is contesting in its six sitting seats in the Old City of Hyderabad, one sitting seat in Secunderabad, and a seat in Rajendranagar.

    “MIM has no major influence in Telangana beyond Old City of Hyderabad (where Muslim population is 65-70% and mostly poor),” said Wajad Ali Khan, a TDP local leader in Karim Nagar. “In rest of the state, it works as a ‘vote-splitting party’ for some wellknown interests.”

    AIMIM, which debuted in (united) AP assembly in 1962 with one seat, managed its best show in the 2014 Telangana elections when it won seven out of 20 seats it contested.

    “Muslims outside Hyderabad are mostly not interested in MIM, as its hardline language and politics can create local tensions for community workers who here live together with our Hindu partners,” said Mod Ulfiquer Hussein in Sircilla town.

    Yet, every national BJP leader targets Owaisi and he promptly replies with matching spice. This “spicy sound bytes ping-pong”, an observer said, is giving both BJP and AIMIM to notionally acquire a larger than life presence in the election discourse compared with Congress’s fight for both Muslim and Hindu votes.

    AIMIM MLC Jafri Sayed Amin said, “Though we are only fighting eight seats, everybody — be it BJP national leaders or Congress which fielded six of its seven Muslim candidates against MIM candidates — is targeting our party, making our supporters in Old City Hyderabad all the more rallying for party as they see select-targeting of MIM by both national parties.”

    Many Muslims, when approached across some districts, gave an impression that a large section of the community may back TRS due to a series of steps the K Chandrashekar Rao government initiated, such as Shadi Mubarak financial assistance scheme, Ramzan gifts, building minority educational institutions, and enhancing the salary of Imams.

    Such sops seem to be making a section of Muslims to overlook murmurs that TRS and BJP are functioning as informal allies.

    Yet, the coming together of a Congress-led opposition alliance has added to the competition for Muslim votes in this polls. The opposition is broadcasting KCR government’s failure to deliver on promises such as 12% Muslim quota or on making a Muslim deputy CM and alleging TRS will ally with BJP in 2019. Many believe AIMIM is lending a helping hand to TRS, using its network in the state.


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