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No easy going for Majlis
Old City, which is known for sharp polarisation of votes and is considered to be the impregnable bastion of All-India Majlis-e-Muslimeen which draws its support mainly from Muslims and is generally expected to have a smooth sailing in any election, is witnessing a different situation this time as the Congress and other political parties are making a bid to counter the MIM.
Congress, TRS & BJP-TDP combine campaign in MIM strongholds
Hyderabad: Old City, which is known for sharp polarisation of votes and is considered to be the impregnable bastion of All-India Majlis-e-Muslimeen which draws its support mainly from Muslims and is generally expected to have a smooth sailing in any election, is witnessing a different situation this time as the Congress and other political parties are making a bid to counter the MIM.
The Congress, TRS and the TDP-BJP combine are also in the fray making the elections more interesting. The recent migration of a few MIM leaders from the Old City, including ex-corporators into the TRS and Congress seems to have given a fillip to the efforts of these parties to at least take up campaign on a serious note.
Congress party being in alliance with MIM during the last GHMC elections did not bother much about winning the seats or creating a base for itself. But this time, the Congress party wants to win some seats. The disgruntlement in MIM and migration of ex corporator of Charminar division Mohd Ghouse to Congress party along with MIM workers gave a fillip to the efforts of the Congress party. Ghouse was elected as MIM corporator in 2002 and 2009 from Charminar ward.
In a strategic move, the Congress party made Ghouse responsible for three divisions. Ghouse is contesting from Puranapul, his son Md Sohail from Shalibanda and wife Parveen Sultana from Ghansi Bazar. The Congress led Mohd Shabbir Ali has taken up a full-fledged campaign in Old City areas. Shabbir also flagged off a bike rally in Old City on Tuesday.
He said, "The present MIM leadership had deviated from the principles of the late Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi.” He also said that everyone in the Old City was disappointed with the MIM's leadership. The BJP-TDP combine is also campaigning in some parts of the Old City but not as intensively as the Congress.
The TTDP Minority Cell president Sajid Khan said that TDP-BJP combine have taken up intensified campaign addressing the local and civic issues in Charminar, Bahadurpura and Nampally divisions where TDP has a strong cadre. The BJP, he claimed, was strong in Karwan, Malakpet, Yakutpura and Rajendranagar divisions.
The BJP leaders say they are chalking out special plans to enter the Old City with their national leaders as star campaigners like Uma Bharti. The TRS, however, has been going round some areas of the Old City and is focusing more on areas like Mehdipatnam which are considered to be posh and have significant number of non-Muslim voters as well.
While accepting that the Congress has made its presence in terms of campaign in Old City areas, the MIM leaders claimed that they were not much worried about it since they are sure that people are with them.
