Hyderabad: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is considering contesting the Mahabubnagar constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May 13.
Shaik Munna Basha, the party’s district chief for Jogulamba Gadwal, filed his nomination for the Mahabubnagar seat on April 19, albeit without an official announcement of his candidature by the party.
The Congress, Bharatiya Rashtriya Samithi (BRS), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have retained their candidates from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections: Challa Vamsichand Reddy, Manna Srinivas Reddy, and DK Aruna, respectively. This sets the stage for a three-way contest in the constituency.
Should the AIMIM decide to proceed with fielding a candidate, it will add further intrigue to the electoral race.
The Mahabubnagar Parliamentary constituency comprises seven assembly segments: Kodangal, Narayanpet, Mahabubnagar, Jadcherla, Devarkadra, Makthal, and Shadnagar, spanning four districts. Muslim votes are pivotal in the assembly segments of Makthal, Narayanpet, Devarkadra, and Mahabubnagar.
Shaik Imamuddin, the AIMIM’s joint secretary for Gadwal district, stated that the district leadership is awaiting approval from the party chief and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, before finalizing the decision.
“If he decides against contesting, we will withdraw the nomination,” he added.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Manna Srinivas Reddy secured victory with 4,11,241 votes, defeating DK Aruna who received 3,33,573 votes.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress emerged victorious in all seven assembly segments of Mahabubnagar, establishing itself as a formidable contender in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
