The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : BJP to field Muslim candidate for Hyderabad LS seat?

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Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

BJP to field Muslim candidate for Hyderabad LS seat?

Bandaru Dattatreya

G. Kishan Reddy

N. Indrasena Reddy

HYDERABAD: For the first time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to field a Muslim candidate from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency to take on Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) in its own bastion. The BJP Minority Morcha leader, Laiq Ali is under consideration as a likely candidate for the election to be held on April 16.

The constituency has been a traditional stronghold of the MIM and sent Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi six times to the Lok Sabha and his son Asaduddin Owaisi, the last time. The BJP has been making vain efforts to dislodge the MIM but even in the 2004 elections, its candidate Subash Chanderji failed in the effort, conceding defeat by more than one lakh votes.

The party’s probable Mr. Laiq Ali hails from Sanjiva Reddy Nagar and has been in the BJP for a long time. “The idea has been floated and different equations are being worked out in its wake for taking a final decision,” says the BJP Greater Hyderabad unit president Chintala Ramachandra Reddy. Mr Chanderji’s name too figured in the list of probables, but the former deputy mayor is more interested in contesting the Malakpet Assembly segment, rather than fighting the electoral battle in a Lok Sabha constituency. Sources also indicate that Mr. Ali could be fielded in Jubilee Hills assembly segment, if his name is not cleared for Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat.

While former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who in last contest, lost to Anjan Kumar Yadav from Secunderabad will be in the fray from the same constituency, N. Indrasena Reddy emerged as the party choice for the newly created Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency.

The party has worked out the list of the contestants for most of the Assembly constituencies and they include Mr. Ramachandra Reddy being fielded from Khairatabad seat.

Prem Singh Rathore, who lost to M. Mukesh of Congress, in the 2004 elections from Maharajgunj will be fielded from the newly created Goshamahal constituency while Kishan Reddy who won from Himayatnagar last time will also be contesting from a newly carved constituency - Amberpet.

K. Laxman who lost to Nayani Narasimha Reddy of Telangana Rashtra Samithi from Musheerabad with a close margin of 240 votes will test his fortunes from the same constituency.

The others being finalised by the BJP include Bhim Rao from Lingampally, S.Malla Reddy from Qutbullahpur, N.V.S.S. Prabhakar from Uppal and Satyanarayana Rao from Patancheru.

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