Jubilee Hills Bypoll: AIMIM To Officially Disclose Its Decision With A Couple Of Days

According to party sources, the leadership, which has already begun deliberating on the pros and cons of backing another political party, will hold another round of discussions shortly. The AIMIM is evaluating the situation in the Jubilee Hills constituency before arriving at a final decision in this crucial bypoll. “Another round of discussions will be held before arriving at a decision,” said party leaders.

With a considerable Muslim population in several wards and AIMIM corporators representing a few of them — there are about 1.12 lakh Muslim voters in the 3.99-lakh-strong electorate, the party continues to hold a bargaining chip even as other parties have begun filing nominations for the November 11 polls. The delay in taking a decision by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, coupled with his sustained attacks on the BRS, has fuelled speculation that the party may not field its own candidate but instead support the Congress nominee, Naveen Yadav.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, AIMIM had fielded its Shaikpet corporator, Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin, who finished a distant fourth with 7,848 votes, while BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath retained his seat.

Meanwhile, BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao has alleged a “secret understanding” between the Congress and AIMIM in the bypoll, citing Naveen Yadav’s past association with the Majlis and his candidature on an AIMIM ticket in the 2014 state elections.

At a recent public meeting, Asaduddin Owaisi did not explicitly endorse any candidate but urged people to vote for a “proactive local youth.” This has led to accusations that AIMIM is effectively backing its own worker contesting on a Congress ticket to ensure victory with Congress support.