The Congress party is in a race with AIMIM to win Muslim votes in Telangana. Md Ali Shabbir, a senior Congress leader said on Saturday that the Muslims of Telangana were firmly backing the party and AIMIM would fail to make a dent in that votebank.

According to The New Indian Express Shabbir said, “The AIMIM had been supporting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao but has now changed its stance and begun criticising BRS. However, Muslims are not going to be fooled by this change of heart. MIM leaders should know that there are differing opinions between Muslims in north and south Telangana.”

He further pointed out that AIMIM did not secure key constituencies including Nizamabad, Secunderabad, and Jublie Hills despite being in politics for over 50 years. The statement coming from the Congress leader is part of the strategy the grand old part has formulated to woo back Muslim voters in Telangana.

Notably, there are 40 Telangana Assembly constituencies that have sizable Muslim population. In the 2018, assembly elections, Congress failed to win even a single seat from these constituencies. AIMIM secured seven seats while Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS (previously TRS) won the rest of the seats. AIMIM and BRS are considered friendly parties in the state. Reports suggest the top reasons for Congress losing all seats in Muslim dominating areas, mostly to BRS, were the welfare schemes and the “secular nature” of the Rao-led government since 2014.

Following the polls win in Karnataka Assembly elections, Congress appears confident that it can repeat the win in Telangana. The grand old party had a strong hold on Muslim voters in the state. Notably, the voting patterns of Karnataka made it clear that Muslim voters’ consolidation helped Congress win Karnataka.

Not to forget, Congress managed to put Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a difficult position in Karnataka because of Muslim-centric issues including the hijab ban, halal vs jhatka row, scrapping of 4 per cent Muslim reservations and controversy around Tipu Sultan.

In Telangana, Congress claimed AIMIM’s polarisation has helped BJP in gaining Hindu voters. By targetting Muslim voters, Congress is not only planning to put a dent in AIMIM’s position in Telangana’s politics but also aims to put a dent in the rising popularity of BJP in the state. In May, before the Karnataka polls commenced, a senior Congress leader said to Times of India that the speeches Owaisi made might not get AIMIM Muslim votes or cut votes for the “secular parties”, it definitely polarised Hindu votes towards BJP.

TOI reported that election strategist Sunil Kanugolu submitted reports about the Telangana elections scheduled for 2023 end where it was pointed out that without Muslim votes it will not be possible for Congress to come back to power. To achieve the target, Congress has to cut Muslim votes of AIMIM and BRS collectively. Muslim leaders linked to Congress planned to meet ulema, masjid committees and prominent Muslim personalities to woo the community.

Congress’s Muslim supporters demand more representation

To get to the Muslim voters, Congress needs its Muslim workers to connect to the voters on the ground. The workers see this as an opportunity to find a way for Muslim leaders in the government if Congress comes to power. Keeping it in mind, Muslim Congress workers have formed a joint action committee seeking more representation for the Muslim community in the upcoming Telangana elections.

The recently formed Muslim team named Sarvodaya Joint Action Group (S-JAG) has 30 members. As per the Siasat report, the group has demanded Congress High Command consider only minority candidates where the Muslim population is over 25 to 30 per cent. The brain behind the formation of S-JAG and member of AICC Congress Sandesh MA Basith said, “We want the minority community to be given an opportunity to add value to public life. We have immense faith in your leadership to do justice and pay heed to the voice of Hyderabadis as a community.”

Notably, in Karnataka elections, after Congress registered victory, Muslim leaders demanded high-profile departments for community leaders in the government. Karnataka State Waqf Board chief Shafi Sadi claimed 72 constituencies went into Congress’s hands only because of the Muslims. 15 Muslim candidates were fielded by Congress in the elections, out of which nine won. However, his nomination from Waqf board was later suspended by the Congress government in Karnataka.

Congress leader instigated Muslims against BJP leader T Raja

In August 2022, Telangana Congress leader Feroze Khan launched a fierce attack on suspended BJP leader T Raja following his alleged remarks on Prophet Mohammed. He issued a threat on camera asking his followers to take the law in hand and beat up T Raja Singh. He said, “T Raja Singh wants to do politics of polarisation. Put him in jail. Raja Singh should apologise for his statement. The Prophet is our hero. If he doesn’t apologise, then I would want to ask every Muslim in Hyderabad to beat him wherever you see him. We can take the law into our hands not once, but several times.”

T Raja Singh was suspended from BJP following controversy erupted over his alleged statement against Prophet Mohammed. He was booked under Sections 153A, 295 and 505 of the IPC.