AIMIM likely to skip Jubilee Hills by-poll to consolidate minority vote

The AIMIM is expected to stay out of the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election on November 11, a strategic move aimed at preventing minority vote division and defeating the BJP. With over 1.20 lakh Muslim voters in the constituency, AIMIM’s decision is seen as a tactical shift.

Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is unlikely to contest the Jubilee Hills by-election to be held on November 11.

The AIMIM’s move to stay away from the Jubilee Hills by-polls is being seen as an attempt to prevent the splitting of minority votes and ensure the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

---

It is widely believed that the Muslim vote is the deciding factor in Jubilee Hills constituency, which comprises minority-dominated areas like Erragadda, Rahmathnagar, Yousufguda, Shaikpet, and Bharathnagar.

Overall, there are roughly 4 lakh voters in Jubilee Hills, of whom, around 1.20 lakh are Muslims, and another 22,000 belong to other minority communities.

In the 2023 elections, the AIMIM had fielded Shaikpet corporator Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin for the Jubilee Hills assembly constituency. However, he lost to BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath, whose recent demise necessitated the by-polls.

The AIMIM candidate managed to secure only 7, 848 votes while Congress candidate Mohammed Azharuddin stood in second place with roughly 62,000 votes. The late BRS MLA, Maganti Gopinath had secured over 80,000 votes.

Before 2023, the AIMIM had fielded a candidate from Jubilee Hills in 2014, when V Naveen Yadav, son of noted politician V Srisailam Yadav, contested on the party ticket. He stood in second place, garnering 25.19 per cent of the total vote share.

V Naveen Yadav, who joined the Congress party before the 2023 assembly elections, still enjoys the goodwill of the AIMIM’s top leadership. At a recent public meeting in Erragadda, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi asked people to vote for a local and efficient young candidate.

According to party sources, the AIMIM will back Naveen Yadav, who enjoys considerable clout in the Muslim community, if he is allotted the ticket. Otherwise, the AIMIM will back any other candidate fielded by the Congress.