Hyderabad: The Jubilee Hills MLA seat has become a hot topic of discussion in Hyderabad regarding the Congress leader who will contest this seat. With the untimely demise of Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLA Maganti Gopinath on June 8, this vacant seat is being eyed by those who missed their chance in the Telangana Assembly elections of December 2023.
The candidates who are in the fray, according to sources, are former cricketer and senior Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin, Congress leader from Nampally, Feroze Khan, and also All India Professional Congress president in Hyderabad, Irfan Aziz.
Lobbying by Azharuddin
According to sources, “Azharuddin is moving Earth and heaven to get a second chance for the Jubilee Hills seat. He is meeting all the leaders in the State and in New Delhi to push for his case.” In December 2023, Mohammed Azharuddin was given the ticket by the Congress party but lost by 16,337 votes. The votes polled by the Congress party were 35.03 per cent according to the Election Commission of India.
In the runup of the selection for Telangana Elections of 2023, slain Congress leader of Maharashtra, Baba Siddique, had strongly recommended Azharuddin for the Jubilee Hills seat. Baba Siddique had also campaigned for him during the Assembly elections. After that, Baba Siddique left Congress and joined Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.
Telangana Congress leaders are closely watching for the next person who will lobby for Azharuddin in Delhi.
Feroze Khan was invited by people
Congress leader Feroze Khan is a well-known face in Hyderabad, and people are approaching him from all walks of life. With the Congress government in power, Feroze Khan is seen as a person who gets along with all classes of people.
Feroze Khan contested the elections from Nampally but lost to AIMIM. A senior Congress leader said, “Khan is good at work, but when he speaks, he does not realize the capacity and make of his audience. This is his biggest drawback.”
Irfan Aziz
All India Professional Congress president Irfan Aziz’s name is also being whispered, as it is a prestigious constituency and people are looking up to a person with a ‘clean image’.
While Aziz is looked up to for his clean and professional image, the challenge is whether he will be able to attract the grassroots level workers. The appeal required for a politician is the ability to mix with all types of people, explained a senior Congress leader.
Heavy lobbying
The Congress party leaders are abuzz with who will be given this seat to contest. A senior Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “The seat is prestigious in two ways, the ruling party is Congress and hence winning the seat is very important. At the same time, 38 per cent population is Muslim and choosing the right candidate who looks into the affairs of the minority and works for them is important. Working on the ground for the people is important as the political landscape has changed. But do we have the right face in the minority to fight for this seat? We will have to look at all the available options. More people are expected to join the list of names as various committee meetings are going to be held.”
Is BJP contesting the seat?
There are strong rumours that the Bharatiya Janata Party will not contest this seat, but there is no confirmation or any input from the party.
Will AIMIM contest?
In December 2023, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen candidate MD Rasheed Farazuddin contested the seat and got 7,829 votes. Will they field a candidate again? Will they support the ruling Congress party? These questions are also doing the rounds.
A senior Congressman explained, “The candidate for Jubilee Hills will depend on a lot of factors: the strategy of Telangana BJP and BRS, the role of AIMIM and also the Congress workers who worked in 2023 for Azharuddin. The feedback given to the party at that time is going to count in making the final choice.”
Non-Muslim candidate
With the caste census conducted in the State, Delhi Congress will also look into those numbers in Jubilee Hills and decide on the candidate, explained a source.
As hectic lobbying begins, the Jubilee Hills seat in Hyderabad is going to be like a trophy cup to watch out for.
