HYDERABAD, 19 April 2004 — Majlis-e-Ittehaadul Muslimeen (MIM) seems poised to continue its winning spree in the Hyderabad parliamentary constituency in the poll scheduled for tomorrow, even though the party faces formidable challenge from its traditional rival, Bharatiya Janata Party. MIM President Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, who had represented this constituency for six terms in a row between 1984-2004, has said goodbye to electoral politics this time and instead fielded his eldest son and two-term member of state assembly Asaduddin Owaisi to seek election from the MIM stronghold.
A bar-at-law from Lincoln’s Inn, London, the 35-year-old Asaduddin Owaisi was the floor leader of MIM in the assembly between 1994-2003. After initially toying with the idea of fielding well-known Telugu actress and BJP Mahila Morcha Vice President Vijayashanti from Hyderabad, the BJP finally opted for Hyderabad deputy mayor G. Subhash Chanderji to be its candidate against Asaduddin Owaisi.
To make it a triangular contest, the Congress picked up former MLA Konda Laxma Reddy to take on the MIM. Hyderabad is a typical constituency, with four assembly segments located in the Old City of Hyderabad and three other segments spread over the rural hinterland of neighboring Ranga Reddy district.
For the first time, the proportion of Muslim voters in the constituency has crossed 50 percent mark for the ensuing elections. Hyderabad has, thus, become the only constituency with such a heavy concentration of Muslim electorate.
Almost 90 percent of the Muslim voters are enrolled in the four urban segments while 58 percent of the Hindu voters are enlisted in the three rural segments. The constituency has 1,746,565 voters. Chandrayangutta, Yakutpura, Charminar and Karwan segments were represented by MIM in the dissolved assembly while TDP held two rural segments and the Congress one segment.
Congress members were elected from the Hyderabad parliamentary constituency in successive elections between 1952 and 1980, barring in 1971 when Telangana Praja Samithi, a separatist party had won the seat.
