While the result of the Hyderabad Parliament seat seems to be a foregone conclusion, the poll battle, given past trends, is likely to be between the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and BJP.
The Hyderabad seat, which covers large swathes of Old City, has been a bastion of MIM since 1984. Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, Asad’s father, was elected six times from 8th to 13th Lok Sabha. The constituency comprises Charminar, Chandrayangutta, Goshamahal, Yakutpura, Bahadurpura, Malakpet and Karwan Assembly segments. All are represented by MIM legislators with the exception of Goshamahal, which elected BJP legislator T. Raja Singh.
While Hyderabad seat is a Muslim majority constituency, it does have a sizeable population of Hindus. Areas such as Lal Darwaza, a part of both Yakutpura and Chandrayangutta segments, Gowlipura and parts of I S Sadan in Yakutpura, Cholapura in Charminar and Ziaguda and Langar Houz in Karwan, are Hindu-populated neighbourhoods.
The 2014 elections saw Owaisi taking on BJP’s Bhagwant Rao and the TRS’s Rashid Shareef. Owaisi witnessed a landslide victory and polled 2,02,454 votes more than his closest rival – Dr. Bhagwant Rao.
With the TRS allying with the MIM, Mr Owaisi is expected to have a smooth sailing this time. In fact, TRS’ 2014 candidate Rashid Shareef, in the run-up to the 2018 Assembly polls, had claimed the party was not supporting its cadre here.
The 2009 elections saw Owaisi locking horns with the editor of Siasat daily and TDP candidate Zahid Ali Khan. Observers say that while Khan, who contested for the first time polled over an impressive 1.94 lakh votes, he was a distant second with Owaisi winning with a landslide margin of over 1.13 lakh votes.
Residents say that while the constituency has seen several improvements in civic infrastructure, more needs to be done.
“Low lying areas such as Aman Nagar are usually flooded when it rains. Some localities get contaminated water. While the RO water plants are a good initiative, drinking water pipelines should be laid. Manhole cover quality is also an issue,” said Mohammed Waseem, a marketing professional and resident of Noor Khan Bazaar. Others pointed out that there was a need of more educational institutions.