Hyderabad: The Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), candidate from Yakutpura Amjed Ullah Khan, might have lost his seat to his rival All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) new elect MLA Jaffer Hussain Meraj, by a slender margin of 878 votes, but the tight contest attracted both local and NRI attention.
Jafer Hussain got 46,153 (32.86%) votes while Amjed Ullah Khan got 45275 (32.24 %) of the total 1, 39,878 votes polled. BJP candidate N Veerendra Babu Yadav got 22,354 (15.92%), BRS candidate Sama Sunder Reddy 15,516 (11.05%) and INC candidate K Ravi Raju 6,954 (4.95 %).
The close contest drew a lot of attention globally for it was the sudden rise of the MBT party from ground level to a stage where it created ripples in the AIMIM party circles and then the leadership tensed moments. The developments during the counting surprised top officials in the district administration and the city police.
All through the counting the people were keenly observing the developments with AIMIM or MBT leading in one or the other round. Breath-holding moments witnessed during the last two rounds created a tense atmosphere outside the counting centre at Exhibition Grounds.
At a stage, the AIMIM leadership across the country were keenly observing the developments as it was the first time the party faced such a keen contest from its breakaway faction the MBT.
AIMIM vs MBT in Yakutpura
MBT party contested in Yakutpura, Chandrayangutta and other constituencies in all elections since 1994, nevertheless lost with huge majority to its rival except in 1994 when MBT founder Amanullah Khan won Chandrayangutta seat and Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, the Yakutpura seat. Mumtaz Khan rejoined the AIMIM afterwards and continued with the party.
Political observers say the MBT party gained immense ground in the run-up to Telangana Assembly Elections 2023 in the city, particularly the Yakutpura constituency.
In 2018, AIMIM candidate Ahmed Pasha Quadri won the seat with a majority of 46,978 votes by defeating Majeedullah Khan alias Farhath, elder brother of Amjedullah Khan. Former AIMIM MLA Ahmed Pasha took 49.07 per cent of the total votes while the runner-up TRS party candidate Sama Sunder Reddy got 22,617 votes and the MBT candidate 21,222 votes in Yakutpura.
During the 2014 elections AIMIM candidate Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, won the seat with a majority of 34, 423 votes by defeating BJP candidate Roop Raj who got 32,420 votes. MBT candidate Majeedullah Khan alias Farhath Khan got 28,793 votes.
“The big jump from getting defeated by a majority of thousands of votes to ending in second position by a small margin of 878 votes in it is a major achievement. That too when a political party has no fully active party workers and funds to sustain,” said a former MLA.
The ground realities indicate the MBT party has scope to revive itself and contest on many seats in the GHMC elections scheduled in 2024 or 2025 in all divisions of the Yakutpura assembly constituencies.
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