Act local and think national in bristling Hyderabad battle
It has been a high-pitched poll campaign in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, with the political slugfest courting signicant controversy. The contest is largely between Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Kompella Madhavi Latha of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While Mr. Owaisi is seeking reelection to the Lok Sabha for the fth time, Ms. Latha is a political debutant. After some delay, the Congress elded Mohammed Waliullah Sameer and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Gaddam Srinivas Yadav.
“Election campaigns have seen polarising issues. There was the bow and arrow episode on Ram Navami in Siddiamber Bazaar by the BJP candidate. She also discussed about women wearing hijab, made comments about beef, and objections to these were raised,” said M.A. Waseem, a resident of Noor Khan Bazaar. “While the Majlis [AIMIM] need to do more work, it is not that they have not done anything. They have installed RO plants. In fact, there is one near my house at the Balshetty Khet playground,” he explained.
Data obtained from the Hyderabad District Collector’s oce showed that Mr.
Owaisi spent a chunk of his Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds for improving civic infrastructure. Latest data too suggest a similar trend with funds being spent for
RO plants and laying of sewage lines and construction of roads. Mr. Owaisi has also used his MPLADS funds for the construction of two government schools.
However, for some voters, the issue of development in Old City remains a sticky issue. The Hyderabad Metro Rail being a case in point. Manik Prabhu Goud, a lawyer by profession and resident of Lal Darwaza, an area signicantly populated by the Hindu community, points out, “We should have had the metro in core Old City a long time ago. But this was not done. The issue is of development.”
While there is agreement on civic issues, others opined that Lok Sabha elections are primarily driven by national policies. “To say that Citizenship Amendment Act [CAA], demonisation of Muslims and reservations should be secondary is incorrect. These are important,” said Haseeb Khan, who works in a large corporate rm.
Mr. Owaisi’s vote share in 2019 stood at 58.94%, increasing from 52.9% in the previous election, while the BJP candidate Dr. Bhagwanth Rao polled 26.8%.