Caravan News
HYDERABAD — With not good record about fielding Muslim candidates in Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, the Baharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded a young Muslim woman social worker and ABVP functionary to take on MIM heavyweight Akbaruddin Owaisi in the Telangana Assembly elections. Owaisi, younger brother of MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, is House Leader of his party in Telangana Assembly.
ABVP’s Shahzadi Syed, 26, will contest against four-time MLA of Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslimeen from Chandrayangutta Assembly constituency in Hyderabad. The seat is considered to be an MIM bastion. However, she is confident.
“Muslims in the Old City are looking for a change,” Shahzadi was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
“AIMIM has failed to provide any of these in last few decades. I stand a good chance of winning,” said she, a postgraduate in Political Science from Osmania University.
“I have been active in student politics after the movement for a separate state started in 2009. I have been part of ABVP. I think it is the most progressive and democratic student organisation and their idea of nationalism appealed to me. I have held several posts in the ABVP,” the English daily reported.
MIM of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi is contesting on nine Assembly seats which it has been winning for several terms.
This is the first Assembly polls after bifurcation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.
MIM is contesting the polls in an informal alliance and understanding with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti or TRS of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. On the other hand, Telugu Desam Party of Chandra Babu Naidu and Congress are contesting the polls jointly.
