Hyderabad: The race for the Nampally constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections has become the center of attention. While AIMIM, BRS, and BJP have yet to finalize their candidates, Congress candidate Feroz Khan is trying to make progress in AIMIM’s stronghold. The choice of candidate has sparked debate and speculation among the people in the constituency.
The alliance between BRS and AIMIM has made BRS hesitant to announce a contender from Nampally, while BJP is searching for a strong candidate. Nampally is the only seat in the Secunderabad parliamentary constituency with a significant number of non-Muslim voters (around 40%). It is a bastion of AIMIM and the only seat in the parliamentary constituency.
Congress has named vocal critic Feroz Khan as its candidate for the segment, while AIMIM is considering replacing the current MLA Jaffar Hussain Meraj. However, other parties lack prominent faces.
Feroz Khan, the rival candidate from MIM, is the only contender who poses a challenge to the Majlis MLA, having contested under different parties in previous elections. Political analysts believe that his frequent party switches may be a reason for his potential loss. Despite this, Feroz Khan remains the toughest opposition to AIMIM based on the last three Assembly elections. Asif Hussain Sohail, a political analyst, predicts a tough contest between MIM and Congress.
Jaffar Hussain, the current MLA, has been a prominent figure in the constituency, winning with a majority of votes for two terms. Speculation suggests that former Mayor Majid Hussain may enter the race from Nampally. Asif Hussain believes that if Majid Hussain is given the ticket, AIMIM has a good chance of winning due to his popularity and experience.
Asif also mentions that even if AIMIM had nominated a new face, people would have voted for the party because every vote is seen as a vote for AIMIM and the Owaisi brothers. The party is confident in retaining its traditional vote bank in their strongholds.
