HYDERABAD: With a close contest expected in certain Lok Sabha segments, the Congress is eyeing a potential electoral boost by securing the support of Muslim voters to increase its tally.
With a considerable Muslim population in crucial constituencies such as Secunderabad and Nizamabad, the grand old party is banking on their support to secure two to three additional seats in the Lok Sabha elections. In both these segments, the minorities account for around five lakh votes each.
In Secunderabad, the Congress believes that the Hindu, Muslim and Christian voters have been polarised due to the aggressive campaign of BJP state president G Kishan Reddy.
In addition, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reportedly asked Muslims to vote for “motay” in Secunderabad. It was obvious that this was a reference to Congress Secunderabad candidate Danam Nagender.
Similarly, in Nizamabad, voters are likely polarised due to many reasons including communally charged remarks made by incumbent BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind, who is testing his luck again.
Here, the Congress is again hoping that Muslims would vote for the party’s candidate. In recent elections, the Muslim voters were inclined towards the BRS, as previous poll results showed. Incidentally, the BJP, while campaigning, claimed that it will remove 4% reservations for Muslims. The BJP’s contention is that reservations on the basis of religion are not sanctioned by the Constitution.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior Congress leader said that the Lok Sabha elections are between the Congress and BJP.
He said that the BRS is not in the reckoning, and the voters have to choose between the BJP and Congress, expressing a high hope that the circumstances would help them get an advantage. However, it remains to be seen whether Muslims would favour the grand old party en masse or not.