Sons of two Majlis group leaders in fray for Hyd LS seat

It is a matter of family honour and the seat that is at stake is the prestigious Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, which is likely to witness a keen contest, with the sons of two leaders of two Majlis groups locked in a tough electoral battle.

The Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has fielded Asaduddin Owaisi, after its president and six-time MP Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi decided to call it a day.

While pitted against him is Majlis Bachao Tehreek's (MBT) nominee Majeedullah Khan, son of Amanullah Khan, who had floated the party after falling out with the MIM supremo.

Asaduddin Owaisi has been campaigning the length and breadth of the constituency spread over to the neighbouring Ranga Reddy district.

He is leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters with the services rendered by his father during his electoral career spanning over 30 years. The constituency, which has more than 10 lakh voters, is facing a 'triangular' contest between the MIM, Congress and BJP-TDP combine.

The BJP nominee is G Subhas Chanderji, deputy mayor of municipal corporation of Hyderabad.

MIM, which has been winning the seat with a comfortable majority since the 1984 elections, is hoping that this time too, "it would retain the seat with a huge majority as the people will not vote TDP and its allies because of their communal agenda".

"We have transformed the constituency into a developed one as most of the Assembly segments have been provided with all basic amenities like roads and street lights during the last five years," Asaduddin claimed.

Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency has seven Assembly segments out of which four are represented by MIM.

Earlier, the seat was contested by BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu in 1996, who lost by a margin of more than 73,000 votes to Owaisi while the 1999 elections saw Badambal Reddy, another strong BJP activist and former legislator losing by over 60,000 votes.

However, the BJP-TDP combine hope that the overall development work taken up by the TDP in the constituency and also the 'riot-free' environment during its eight-year rule plus employment generation through Dwcra scheme to women would help the BJP to consolidate its position.

The minority dominated key constituency has a Congress contestant K Laxma Reddy, who has now came to be known as a 'traditional contestant'. Reddy, who has been in the fray in earlier three elections, could not garner sufficient votes to make his presence felt.

The constituency is going to polls in the first phase on April 20.