Hyderabad: Amid ongoing speculation on whether Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin would contest the Jubilee Hills constituency by-poll, the former cricketer clarified on his candidature on Thursday, June 19.
Speaking to the media at his residence, Azharuddin dismissed all rumours about him being sidelined by Congress and asserted he will contest the by-poll. However, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Mahesh Goud has clearly stated that the final decision will be made by the party high command.
“The people of Jubilee Hills have always bestowed me with a lot of love. I had received nearly 64,000 votes (during the previous Assembly elections). This shows the love of people for me. Winning and losing is a part of life. This is my constituency, and I will contest from here again,” he said.
After the demise of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Maganti Gopinath earlier this month, the seat for Jubilee Hills MLA remains vacant, calling for a by-election.
Winning the Jubilee Hills by-poll is crucial for the Congress after it failed to win any of the 24 Assembly constituencies in the Greater Hyderabad area.
According to Congress leaders from Hyderabad, Azharuddin’s loss to Gopinath and the lack of reach within the public in the Jubilee Hills constituency are other factors that may lead to him not getting the seat. It may be noted that about 30 percent of the voters in the seat are Muslims, which is why the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will also play a crucial role in the results.
A senior Congress official who worked alongside Mohammad Azharuddin in the previous election has said that while the former Indian cricket captain has been overseeing the constituency, it does not guarantee him a party ticket this time. The final decision, the official added, rests with the high command.
Another name doing the rounds is Faheem Qureshi, a close aide of Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy. Another name doing rounds includes Nampally contestant Feroz Khan.
According to party sources, Azharuddin’s performance in the last election was considered underwhelming, as he lacks strong grassroots support despite finishing as the runner-up.
During the 2023 Assembly elections, Azharuddin had lost to Maganti Gopinath by a margin of 16,337 votes and came in second. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Lanka Deepak Reddy managed to secure over 25000 votes, while AIMIM candidate Rasheed Farazuddin came fourth with 7848 votes.
