Hyderabad: The Telangana PCC is planning to offer close to ten Muslim candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls, taking inspiration from the success of Muslim candidates in the Karnataka Assembly polls. This is in contrast to the ruling BRS party, which has only named three candidates, including two in the Old City, as part of a friendly contest.
According to party sources, most Congress Muslim candidates are expected to win seats, unlike the pink party which allocated two seats to ‘losing candidates’ in a friendly contest with AIMIM. The Congress party aims to increase its vote share before the general elections as it has seen a decline in recent elections. They also want to test the waters in the state before the Parliament elections and tap into more votes.
In parts of the Old City, the Congress party plans to change its strategy and focus more on Hindu votes, as many of these votes have shifted to the BJP in recent years. There is also a proposal to give a ticket to a leader from the Shia community in Yakutpura, which could bring in 30,000-35,000 votes for the party.
The screening committee for Telangana, chaired by K Muralidharan, held discussions with the District Congress Committees’ presidents on Tuesday to shortlist candidates. They discussed the potential of candidates to win seats, their financial strengths, and the religious and caste equations of different seats. The final decisions on candidates will be made after further deliberations with the committee.
One of the main priorities for the Congress party is to increase their vote share by targeting Hindu votes, which traditionally belonged to the party. For example, in Bahadurpura, which is a stronghold of AIMIM, about 90% of the vote share goes to the winning candidate. This time, a Hindu candidate may be fielded to attract Hindu votes and increase the party’s vote share. This will ensure a tough contest with Asaduddin Owaisi in the Parliament elections.
Overall, the Congress party in Telangana is taking steps to increase its vote share and win more seats in the upcoming Assembly polls. They are focusing on Muslim and Hindu votes, as well as testing their strategy for the Parliament elections.
