Parties court Muslim voters in Jubilee Hills constituency for bypoll

Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao, on Thursday, inducted Salman Khan, an Independent candidate whose nomination papers were rejected by the Returning Officer ahead of the Jubilee Hills bypoll.

Mr. Khan, co-founder of the Hyderabad Youth Courage Organisation, had earlier campaigned for the allocation of land for a Muslim graveyard in the constituency — an issue that figured prominently in several party manifestos. The Congress had announced that it would earmark a 2,500-square yard land parcel for the purpose, but the move stalled after the Army contended that the site was defence land. Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had also pledged to help secure land for the graveyard.

Mr. Khan’s campaign, which drew polarising reactions on social media, had recently criticised the BRS for its handling of Waqf lands in Manikonda. On Thursday, however, he issued an apology to Mr. Rama Rao and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for his earlier remarks, made “advertently or inadvertently.”

At the induction event, Mr. Rama Rao said that once the BRS returned to power, the government would issue an order allocating land for the graveyard. If no government land was available, private land would be procured, he assured. Mr. Rama Rao also expressed confidence that the BRS would return to office under the leadership of Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao.

The run-up to the elections saw parties attempting to court the Muslim voters, with Mr Rao meeting popular faith leader Ahmed Naqshbandi at his residence in Rahmat Nagar where the former alleged that the Congress considers the Muslim vote as their proprietorship. He also had said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had worked with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The Jubilee Hills constituency has about 3.98 lakh electors. While parts of it are upmarket and gentrified, several neighbourhoods remain underdeveloped. Nearly a third of the electorate comprises Muslims, and the AIMIM has a significant presence in at least two wards. Mr Owaisi, threw his weight behind Congress candidate Naveen Yadav, who had contested from the same constituency on an AIMIM ticket.