Jubilee Hills Bypoll: AIMIM Backs Congress Candidate Amid Triangular Contest

The Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll, scheduled for November 11, is set to be a three-way battle between Congress’s Naveen Yadav, BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha, and BJP’s Lankala Deepak Reddy.

In a surprising move, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi announced his party’s support for the Congress nominee, citing that the poll outcome would not affect the state government.

“Our appeal to the people of Jubilee Hills is that the government will not change with the outcome of the polls. We appeal to nearly four lakh voters who have supported BRS for the last ten years. Now, I request you to vote for Naveen Yadav, who is young and can bring development to Jubilee Hills,” Owaisi said.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June this year due to a heart attack.

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AIMIM’s Challenges in Bihar

While AIMIM’s support for Congress in Telangana may strengthen Naveen Yadav’s prospects, the party has struggled to forge alliances in Bihar. After announcing 25 candidates for the 243-seat Bihar assembly, AIMIM has opted to contest independently, primarily in the Seemanchal region, an area with a significant Muslim population.

Congress leader Udit Raj criticized AIMIM, accusing the party of indirectly aiding the BJP in Bihar, saying:

“Are they forming the government in Bihar? But are contesting the elections so that BJP forms the government in Bihar.”

Owaisi claimed that RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav did not respond to AIMIM’s proposal to join the INDIA bloc this election cycle.