Why Is AIMIM Not Contesting the Jubilee Hills Bypoll?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- AIMIM will not contest the Jubilee Hills by-election.
- Party leader Asaduddin Owaisi supports the Congress candidate.
- The by-election follows the death of BRS MLA Gopinath.
- Naveen Yadav is the Congress candidate.
- Voter demand for development is high in the constituency.
Hyderabad, Oct 17 (NationPress) The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided not to participate in the by-election for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat. Party president Asaduddin Owaisi indicated support for the Congress candidate to curb the rise of the BJP.
On Friday, Congress candidate Naveen Yadav met with Owaisi before submitting his nomination for the upcoming by-election scheduled on November 11.
Naveen Yadav was accompanied by notable party figure and former cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin, who previously contested from this constituency in the 2023 elections without success.
Owaisi remarked that the BRS held the Jubilee Hills seat for a decade but failed to bring about necessary development in the area.
The Hyderabad MP emphasized that the 3.98 lakh voters in this constituency are seeking progress, highlighting the presence of several slum areas that require improved civic amenities across all wards. He stated, “This by-election presents an opportunity to foster development in the constituency.”
Owaisi also pointed out that this by-election would not have occurred if the BRS had not nominated Maganti Gopinath. “They were aware of his health issues back in 2023,” he remarked.
Gopinath passed away in June this year, leading to the necessity for this by-election.
The BRS has nominated Gopinath's wife Sunitha, while the Congress has chosen Naveen Yadav, who previously ran for Jubilee Hills as an AIMIM candidate.
Owaisi observed that votes from the BRS may have shifted to the BJP during the last year’s Lok Sabha elections.
He noted that the BRS had achieved a 37% vote share in Jubilee Hills, but within five months, this had plummeted to 15%.
The Hyderabad MP stressed the importance of halting the BJP's expansion in Jubilee Hills, a segment of the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency.
Owaisi advised Naveen Yadav that success would be contingent upon engaging all societal segments.
Naveen Yadav had previously contested as an AIMIM candidate in 2014 but lost to Gopinath by 9,242 votes. In 2018, he ran as an independent and finished third.
Before the 2023 elections, Naveen Yadav joined the Congress, which then fielded Azharuddin, who lost to Gopinath by 16,337 votes.
Gopinath garnered 80,549 votes, while Azharuddin secured 64,212 votes. The BJP’s L. Deepak Reddy finished third with 25,866 votes, and the AIMIM candidate Rashed Farazuddin came fourth with merely 7,848 votes.
The BJP has confirmed that Deepak Reddy will run again.