E-Paper
At 48.48%, Hyderabad records lowest turnout
Hyderabad recorded the lowest turnout of 48.48% and stood at the bottom of the list of 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state
Hyderabad parliamentary constituency in Telangana recorded the lowest turnout of 48.48% in the elections held on Monday, and stood at the bottom of the list of 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state, which recorded a total poll percentage of 64.93, when the final figures were disclosed by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday.
Though the overall poll percentage in Hyderabad was comparatively higher, compared to 44.84% in 2019 general elections, it was still less compared to the other constituencies in the state.
Hyderabad, predominately a Muslim dominated constituency with nearly 65% of nearly 2.2 million voters belonging to this community, has been a bastion of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) since 1984 and party president and sitting MP Asaduddin Owaisi has been representing the constituency since 2004.
However, the constituency witnessed an intense battle this time with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding a woman candidate Madhavi Latha, who created a big buzz among the voters with her high profile campaign both on ground and also on social media.
Expressing concern over a low turnout in the constituency, Majls-e-Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Mohd Amzadullah Khan said: “It’s very astonishing that till 2 pm, the polling in Muslim-dominated areas was only 15%, whereas the Hindu-dominated areas reported more than 40% turnout.”
In a video message on Monday afternoon, Khan requested the voters of Hyderabad to come out and vote.
The MBT spokesperson, who has been strongly opposing the AIMIM, stayed away from the contest this time.
A video of some men in the parliamentary constituency, supposedly the AIMIM workers, knocking the doors of the people in the locality and requesting them to cast their vote, went viral on social media. It could not be verified at what time the video was shot.
Hyderabad-based political analyst Somasekhar Mulugu said the indifferent attitude of a majority of voters from the area might be because they have taken the victory of Owaisi for granted, as there is no other alternative.
“The Congress has put up a weak candidate and the MBT has withdrawn from the contest, to make the things easy for the AIMIM. So, most of the Muslim voters might have thought there is no point in standing in queues and voting, since Owaisi would win anyway,” he said.
