Most watched Tussle: BJP bets big on ‘Modi Ji ki Bheti’ in MIM bastion

Irrespective of her electoral prospects, the BJP nominee for Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, K Madhavi Latha, has grabbed more media attention than any of her party bigwigs in the run up to the polls. A lesser known cultural activist, she shot up to prominence as she was pitted against AIMIM stalwart Asaduddin Owaisi.
The BJP’s decision to field her from Hyderabad proved to be a strategic move to challenge the unbeatable dominance of the MIM in the old city of Hyderabad. The MIM party has been in hold of the constituency since 1984. More than 59 percent of the electors are minority voters. The Congress Party also fielded a minority candidate in Hyderabad, but it could have little impact.
Madhavi Latha, with her strong advocacy for Hindu values and BJP ideology, could make deep inroads into the constituency. She could reach out to every voter with her door-to-door campaign in localities with a predominant presence of Hindus. The BJP campaign and the counter moves of the MIM left the constituency highly polarized.

A case was booked against Madhavi Latha under Section 295A of the IPC, as she was found making a gesture of shooting an arrow allegedly in the direction of a mosque. A video clip showing her doing so surfaced of late and has gone viral. Rubbishing the allegations, the BJP candidate maintained that she had never campaigned on communal lines.
The MIM is by all means invincible in the constituency. In 2019, the Party nominee Asaduddin Owaisi polled 5,17,100 votes ( 63.95%) as against 2,35,285 votes (26 %) by the BJP, while BRS and Congress candidates finished distant third and fourth polling 63,239 votes and 49,944 votes, respectively. The BJP is certain to farewell in the polls this time, and if at all Madahvi Latha is able to pull a surprise, she will emerge as the future of the party in Telangana. A big welcome awaits her in Delhi, even if she fails to make it.