Owaisi frontrunner still, but on his turf, a new face emerges as ‘best bet’ to upstage AIMIM: BJP’s Madhavi Latha

The narrow bylanes of Hyderabad’s Old City are witnessing a spirited campaign this Lok Sabha election.

On Saturday morning, sitting Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) is crisscrossing the streets of Yakutpura, stopping for photographs and exchanging quick conversations. All the while, he is busy underlining the message of his party this poll season.

“Hyderabad ke aman ko mazboot kariye, yeh aapke buzurgon ki qurbaniyon ka nateeja hai. Patang ke nishan par vote daaliye, ek ek vote ka istamaal kariye (Strengthen the peace in Hyderabad, which is the fruit of the sacrifices of your ancestors. Vote for the AIMIM’s kite symbol. Use every vote).”

Owaisi repeats this as he goes from one door to another. A large group of supporters, besides his security guards, try to keep up with the leader’s pace. “A lot of work is left,” Owaisi says, turning down a request for an interview.

Barely 2 km away, in the bylanes of Gowlipura dotted with saffron flags, Owaisi’s opponent, the BJP’s Kompella Madhavi Latha, can be heard speaking loudly from an open-top vehicle.

Accusing the AIMIM and Owaisi of working for only “one community”, she tells her supporters that “four decades is too long a period for having allowed them to rule”.

The Owaisi family has had a near total hold over the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, with the AIMIM winning the seat since 1984, when Owaisi’s father Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi became an MP from here for the first time, going on to repeat the feat five more times. In 2004, Owaisi took over and is now aiming for a fifth straight term as MP.

Owaisi’s vote shares have not dipped either; in 2019, he won against the BJP’s Bhagavanthrao Pavar by 2.82 lakh votes.

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