HYDERABAD: The heart of the state, Hyderabad, has thrown up a different result when compared to North and South Telangana. The district, which registered the lowest voter turnout of around 47% , handed the BRS seven out of the 15 Assembly constituencies. The AIMIM retained its seven seats while the BJP held on to one — same as in 2018.
Interestingly, the Congress did put up a tough fight in several segments but has failed to bag even one seat. It came as a shock to the party though it has secured an overall majority to form the government. In contrast to 2018, Congress candidates, however, performed reasonably well in Khairatabad, Jubilee Hills, Secunderabad, Secunderabad Cantonment, Amberpet, Nampally, Malakpet and some other segments.
The AIMIM managed to retain its seven seats thanks to its strategy of replacing candidates in three constituencies. It also contested in Rajendranagar and Jubilee Hills, but lost in both. All the sitting MLAs of the BRS won — in Sanathnagar, Jubilee Hills, Secunderabad, Cantonment, Khairatabad, Amberpet and Musheerabad.
The BJP, which contested all the seats, managed to hold on to just Goshamahal, the stronghold of its firebrand leader T Raja Singh. It is his third consecutive victory. The party, however, gave a tough fight in Karwan, Khairatabad and Amberpet. It must have come as a disappointing show for the saffron party as Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed meetings and held a massive road show in Hyderabad during the campaign. Besides, the party’s hopes were up as it had earlier won over 46 seats in the GHMC elections.
After the results, the one thing that stood out was the way Muslims voted in Hyderabad. They appeared to have gone in favour of the BRS and AIMIM unlike in districts such as Nizamabad.The BRS and AIMIM were worried in the run-up to the election day as the Congress had intensified its campaign alleging that both the parties were hand in glove with the BJP. They also feared that the Muslim vote might shift to the Congress after the Karnataka Assembly election results.
However, it did not happen in Hyderabad. On the other hand, settlers appear to have voted differently. In Hyderabad, they clearly preferred the BRS to Congress. It is one of the main reasons for the Congress not winning a single seat in the district. If we include Medchal and Rangareddy districts, the BRS won 17 Assembly seats, while it managed to secure only 22 seats in the remaining 30 districts.