Asad goes full throttle in campaigning as other contenders lack sting in drive

Hyderabad: A four-time winner from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, Asaduddin Owaisi is aiming for his fifth term with his full-flagged canvassing in Hyderabad. With other candidates from parties like Congress, the BJP and BRS remain low-key in Old City areas, especially Bahadurpura, Yakutpura, and Karwan, where they have many minority votes.

The other contenders, like the BJP's Madhavi Latha, BRS’s Gaddam Srinivas Reddy, MBT’s Amjedullah Khan, and others, seem low-key on the ground compared to the Majlis, as no other contenders are campaigning and seeking votes on ground level. It has been observed that these contenders remain vocal critics. However, Congress has yet to announce the candidate.

Though Hyderabad sitting MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is also an AIMIM chief, is actively campaigning for candidates in seats like Kishangunj and Aurangabad, his party's MLAs and corporators are rallying support for their leader.

After filing the nomination papers on Friday, Asad departed for Bihar to support his party candidate, Ather-ul-Iman, in the Kishanganj seat. Meanwhile, in Hyderabad, his party leaders are actively campaigning in their respective constituencies, urging constituents to vote for MIM. During these canvassing efforts, it has been noted that scores of people, numbering in the hundreds, joined their traditional paidal daura, chanting slogans such as "Owaisi zindabad" and "Har Ghar Majlis Ghar Ghar Majlis."

On Monday, the star campaigner Junior Owaisi, MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, was seen campaigning for his elder brother in the Goshamahal area, which is said to be the stronghold of the BJP's Raja Singh. Akbar was diligently going door-to-door in the area, extending greetings with "Assalam Walaikum." He appealed to residents, urging their support for his party in the forthcoming elections, emphasising the importance of voting for Majlis. He emphasised their party slogan, "our work is our identity," and encouraged voters to assess their accomplishments and vote accordingly, symbolised by the phrase "Patang ko vote do."

According to the observers, the other contenders seem low-key, and the electors find no other party candidate in their area. Though the BJP’s Madhavi canvassed, she failed to reach the people by presenting the developments and infrastructure for the citizens of Hyderabad, as her party was in the Centre for the last 10 years.

Political analyst Asif Hussain Sohail remarked, "There is no effective opposition in Hyderabad against Asad. The BJP candidate, who positions herself as the primary opposition, has been ineffective, often appearing more like a 'political tourist.' From the outset, she has focused primarily on self-promotion through vocal criticism rather than presenting substantive opposition."

Asif said, “The candidate is spreading hatred among people and dividing in the name of religion in Hyderabad. Even non-Muslims do not accept the religious hatred in Hyderabad, which spreads the RSS ideology.”

He noted that the Congress party, which has a friendly alliance, has yet to announce its candidate. People are observing a lack of campaigning from other candidates, including BRS candidate Srinivas Reddy, for the Hyderabad seat.

The MIM has had a firm grip on the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat for over four decades now. In 2004, Asaduddin, a two-time MLA from Charminar, took over the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat from his father, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, who had been the Hyderabad MP since 1984.

With 19.57 lakh voters, Hyderabad has seven constituencies under it, including Bahadurpura, Charminar, Chandrayangutta, Yakutpura, Goshamahal, Malakpet, and Karwan. A majority of these voters are Muslims and have always voted for MIM. The Congress, BJP, and BRS candidates are either friendly opponents or contest only to split the Hindu votes.