Congress leaders believe the party could form a majority in the Assembly without substantial Muslim support.
NEW DELHI
The Congress in Telangana is banking on Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that constitute over 55% of the state’s population, according to party leaders. Moreover, party leaders believe that the Congress could get a majority in the 119-member Assembly without any substantial support from the Muslim community.
Muslim votes that constitute around 14% in the state can influence around 30 seats. Political observers believe that the majority of Muslims may stick with KCR as his government has taken up several welfare schemes for the community, including the construction of Shadi Khanas and introduction of Shadi Mubarak (payment of Rs 1 lakh to poor Muslim families towards marriage expenses) in the first term of his rule.
In addition to that, Telangana is seen differently than the adjoining southern Karnataka state where the Congress was able to create an appeal among Muslims which eventually helped the party win the Assembly elections earlier this year. Importantly, Karnataka elections had the involvement of BJP as a major force, which led the Muslims to desert the Janata Dal Secular and choose Congress as a party that could defeat the saffron camp. The same sentiment, according to a political analyst, is missing in Telangana as the BJP is a minor player and Muslims do not have to choose any party against it.
“Therefore, it may be difficult for Muslims to abandon a party (BRS) which has been friendly towards them and which is also being supported by the AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi, who has a significant hold over Muslims in the state.”
State Secretary BRS Telangana, P. Bhoopathi Reddy told The Sunday Guardian, “Why would Muslim voters go towards the Congress? What have they done for them? They started the Hindu-Muslim riots, but after BRS has come to power in the state, they are happy. What BRS has done, the Congress couldn’t do that in even 70 years.”
In Congress as well, party insiders claim that though there is a “Muslim wave” towards Congress nationally, yet it is difficult to sway Muslim voters from the BRS in Telangana. “Most Muslims may remain with BRS and the Congress may be able to convince only neutral Muslim voters,” says an insider, but not in a way it was in Karnataka. Congress spokesperson in Telangana, Venkat Swami told The Sunday Guardian, “One of the factors for our win could be that Muslim votes will turn up towards Congress. But that is not what we are banking upon. If it was for only Muslim votes, we are not going to win. It is an additional force for us. We can win only if the voters’ mind has shifted towards the Congress.”
He added, “If OBCs turn to the Congress en-masse, then only Congress party can win. Reddys may dominate the winner list but the percentage of Reddys is very less at just around 3% and we should understand that most of the Reddy population (at around 70%) is with BRS. They are not with the Congress. Only the OBC is the factor that can help us win.” Political science professor in Kakatiya University Telangana Dr Venkataiah Sankineni said, “Some people want a Congress government, but BRS has done a lot of freebie distribution and this element will influence the elections in favour of the BRS, because a section of the population is very poor here.” However, other analysts claim that there is a wave in favour of Congress among the Scheduled Tribes (9 reserved seats), Schedule Castes (18 reserved) and OBCs suggesting that they want a change in governance and Congress could tap into that sentiment.