Hyderabad: The main contenders for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat are sweating it out in each and every ward in the constituency and explaining about their promises to the estimated 3,55,000 voters and the avowed determination to implement them on coming to power.
Vying for a win are candidates from the BRS, the Congress, the BJP and the MIM. BRS legislator Maganti Gopinath has a stronger cadre base when compared to his Congress opponent Mohd Azharuddin, who is banking on door to door interactions with voters.
Pitted against them are Lankala Deepak Reddy from BJP and Md. Rashed Farazuddin of MIM, who are also out to prove a point or two.
The constituency has six wards, including Erragadda, Vengal Raonagar, Borabanda, Yousufguda, Rehmathnagar and Shaikpet. Each division has its own issues. For instance Borabanda, Yousufguda and Rehmathnagar have many unemployed youth. Borabanda, with 42 slums, also has a huge population of construction labourers and daily wage workers.
The government school at Borabanda, billed as Asia’s largest populated government school with an enrollment of 6,000 students, lacks basic amenities while toilets are shabby and unhygienic. Hitec City, a neighbouring locality, has poor road connectivity, among several other issues.
Vengal Raonagar has a predominant presence of upper middle class and educated persons. They are raising issues concerning statewide development and are demanding colleges in the area.
T. Sai Sheshagiri Rao, a social activist, explained, “Borabanda, Yousufguda and Rehmath nagar have had no development. There are no educational institutions. People are looking for basic amenities and several areas get water once every three days.”
Shaikpet division is full of garbage dumps and flowing nalas, according Mohammed Waseem. Gajjulu Bala Raju, a resident of Borabanda, said “the voters here seek remedies for local problems and issues and are least bothered about the state’s overall development.”
