Lok Sabha elections 2024: Voting for all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will take place during the fourth phase of the ongoing elections on May 13.
Asaduddin Owaisi vs Madhavi Latha in Hyderabad: Will BJP make inroads into AIMIM’s bastion?
Lok Sabha polls: Known most popularly for the iconic Charminar and its slightly cracked, tender yet crisp Osmania biscuits, Hyderabad is bracing itself for the big showdown between BJP’s fiery candidate Madhavi Latha and sitting AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Like Owaisi, she also hails from the Old City in Hyderabad.
Voting for all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana will take place during the fourth phase of the ongoing elections on May 13. Apart from being a politician, social worker and Bharatnatyam dancer, she is the chairperson of a corporate hospital called Virinchi Hospitals as well as that of Lopamudra Charitable Trust. The Lopamudra Charitable Trust provides healthcare, education and livelihood to the underprivileged people in the city.
Madhavi Latha vs Asaduddin Owaisi– The Hyderabad fight
Madhavi Latha, who is a social worker and Bharatnatyam dancer by profession, has gained followers due to her spirited speeches, most of which are centered around the need for changing the Old City. She has said on multiple occasions that if she wins, she will focus on fixing issues related to traffic congestion, inadequate public facilities, and outdated infrastructure.
She also advocated for the abolition of triple talaq in collaboration with Muslim women’s groups. The BJP has supported the criminalisation of triple talaq, which was achieved through the 2019 Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage Act). Her competitor Asaduddin Owaisi had called the abolition of triple talaq as “unconstitutional.”
Madhavi Latha is particularly known for her work to improve the living conditions of both Hindu and Muslim women. While Madhavi Latha’s key focus has been on infrastructure and improving the living conditions of women, her opponent Owaisi has a completely different agenda.
Owaisi has challeged the national parties’ track record vis-a-vis minorities, backward castes and Dalits. He has also raised the issue of political representation and minority rights. Despite being often called the ‘B’ team of the BJP, Owaisi has asserted his party’s self-respect and dignity.
Not an easy road for Madhavi Latha
This is the first time that the BJP has fielded a female candidate from the Hyderabad constituency. The road to win Hyderabad is far from easy for Madhavi Latha as the Lok Sabha constituency has been an Owaisi family pocket borough, akin to what Rae Bareli has been for the Gandhis. Since 1984, candidates from the Owaisi family or those supported by them have been elected from this seat.
Owaisi has been the MP from Hyderabad for four straight terms from 2004 till date. In the 2019 general elections, Owaisi won from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 2.80 lakh votes. In this election, Asaduddin Owaisi secured more than 5.10 lakh votes and commanded a vote share of roughly 64 per cent.
Before Asaduddin Owaisi entered the Lok Sabha, his father late Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi was elected from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency for six straight terms until his retirement in 2004. In 2004, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi retired from electoral politics, citing failing health.
Assembly segments in Hyderabad Lok Sabha
The Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency has been divided into seven Assembly segments post the 2009 delimitation exercise. These Assembly segments are Malakpet, Karwan, Goshamahal, Charminar, Chandrayangutta, Yakutpura, and Bahadupura. Barring Goshamahal, all assembly seats are presently held by the AIMIM.
