Hyderabad: Though Congress leaders say they can defeat the MIM in some of its strong bastions in the Old City of Hyderabad, the performance of the Congress in the 2004 and 2014 elections and also in the GHMC elections do not hold out much hope. The voting percentage of the Congress fell considerably in the 2009 elections in the MIM strongholds of Chandrayana Gutta, Malakpet, Charminar, Bahadurpura , Yakutpura, Karwan and Nampally constituencies.
The Congress candidate in Nampally had secured 20.31 per cent of the total valid votes in the 2004 elections, but the percentage fell to 6.58 in the 2009 elections and the Congress candidate lost his deposit.
The Congress’s percentage of votes fell from 18 per cent to 6.71 per cent in Malakpet segment, from 10.38 per cent to 4.56 per cent in Yakutpura segment, and from 13.83 per cent 4.08 per cent in Karwan, and in all seven segments the Congress candidates lost their deposits in 2004 and 2009 elections.
This percentage further decreased in the GHMC polls; the Congress candidates who contested in 45 divisions of the GHMC which are under the seven Assembly segments lost their deposits, except in the Pathergatti division where a former MIM corporator Mr Ghouse contested on the Congress ticket.
Some Congress leaders said that it would be difficult for the party to find strong candidates against the MIM as the party leadership had never encouraged leaders from the Old City.
