AIMIM Leaders May Skip JH Poll Campaign
“Asaduddin has remained a vocal critic of Rahul Gandhi and that will not change. Since there is no understanding between the AIMIM and Congress at the national level, his participation here would send a wrong signal.
Hyderabad: The AIMIM’s decision to back Congress candidate Naveen Yadav in the Jubilee Hills bypoll stands in sharp contrast to its national position, especially after joining the third front in Bihar. Despite speculation that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi might join Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to help consolidate minority votes for the Congress in the bypoll, party insiders suggest otherwise. The Hyderabad MP is expected to stay away from Jubilee Hills and focus instead on the Bihar elections.
“Asaduddin has remained a vocal critic of Rahul Gandhi and that will not change. Since there is no understanding between the AIMIM and Congress at the national level, his participation here would send a wrong signal. The party is merely reciprocating the gesture shown by Congress during the Hyderabad local authorities’ MLC election, where our candidate Mirza Riyaz Ul Hassan Effendi won with their support,” a senior AIMIM leader told Deccan Chronicle.
Rather than projecting itself as a Congress ally, the AIMIM is highlighting its opposition to both the BRS and BJP, accusing them of backing each other. The party argues that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy represents a shift toward “uniform development across constituencies,” contrasting with what it calls BRS’s neglect of civic needs.
Owaisi has stepped up his criticism of the BRS for failing to complete pending projects and improve basic amenities such as drainage and road infrastructure in Hyderabad. The BJP’s decision to field an unfamiliar candidate, Lankala Deepak Reddy, is being seen by AIMIM leaders as tacit support for the BRS.
“This is a straight contest between Congress and BRS. With AIMIM’s support, our cadre will take care of the campaign at the ground level. There is no need for senior leaders to join public meetings,” the party leader added.
At the national level, AIMIM has formed the Grand Democratic Alliance in Bihar with Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party and Swami Prasad Maurya’s Apni Janata Party. Contesting 35 Assembly seats, the alliance has been described as a coalition of “secular forces to stop communal politics.”
Following Owaisi’s endorsement, Congress workers in Jubilee Hills appeared upbeat. “Asad is right in saying that BRS has failed to develop the constituency. We will intensify our campaign after Diwali,” said Ismail Khan, a local Congress leader.