By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: The most awaited Andhra Pradesh Youth Congress election results were announced on Saturday. The results brought mixed reactions among Muslim candidates while some burst crackers, others stayed indoors with grief. The polling was held on 11th and 12th of July in which 31,645 members of AP Youth Congress cast their votes, out of which 31,009 were held valid.
Muslim contestants showed good performance at the local level and bagged presidential posts in some of the Muslim dominated areas, but they lost appallingly to get plum designations at the state level. However, the community will get one of the state general secretary posts from the quota. Muslim youth Congress members in the state are nearly 4,500.
Muslim contestant was unable to win presidential post in the Hyderabad parliamentary constituency with 80% Muslim population. However, Mohd Parvez and Kabeer Ahmed saved their face by at least winning vice-president and general secretary post respectively. In Secundarabad parliamentary constituency with 30% Muslim population Hakeem Hussain and Mohd Saleem Khan won generally secretary posts.
Other Muslim candidates who showed good performance in the local level were Rizwan Ahmed who won Goshamahal assembly constituency youth congress presidential post, and Mohd Mazz who got presidential post of Kukatpally assembly constituency.
Peer Muneer Ahmed Jaber, son of Peer Shabir Ahmed, state Jamiat Ulema president and Congress MLC, won presidential post of Amberpet assembly constituency. He got 71 votes out of 219. Another Muslim candidate who won with flying colors was Mohd Muzafar, he won presidential post of Khanapur assembly constituency. Others who showed good fight were Mohd Mumtaz who is elected as vice-president of Khaitarabad assembly constituency and Mohd Nouman who bagged the post of vice-president of Sanatnagar assembly constituency.
At the state level, for the posts of AP state youth Congress president, vice-president, and general secretaries a total of 26 candidates contested out of which 4 candidates were Muslim who contested in minority quota not in general category.
Out of 31,645 votes Vamshichandra Reddy, a staunch follower of Y.S.R. Reddy and former state NSUI president got 13,799 votes and elected as president of AP Youth Congress. Mr. Vamshi got fame when he attacked Reliance outlets in the city when some local news channels carried out a report alleging that Reliance Industries conspired Y.S.R chopper accident. These results were delayed for two days because of those cases were still pending against Mr. Vamshi Reddy.
Second position was bagged by Anil Kumar Yadav with 6,326 votes, he is the son of Anjan Kumar Yadav, Member of Parliament from Secundarbad. Mr. Anil is elected as vice-president. Ravi Kumar Yadav, son of Congress MLA, got 6,167 votes, Amit Singh got 720 votes and Pururava Reddy, son of another Congress MLA got 616 votes, all of them are expected to be designated as general secretaries in open category.
Muslims candidates performed poorly at the state level. There were only 4 Muslim candidates eyeing on nearly 4,500 Muslim youth votes. Asif Hussain Sohial who got open support from Aamir Javed, state NSUI general secretary, got only 211 votes, but still stands top in the Muslim list. Mohd Geelani got 173 votes in the state level and stands second in the Muslim list. Shabana Yasmeen, one of the few women candidates in the elections got 60 votes, and last Muslim candidate Mohd Akheel got only 50 votes on the state level.
As all those four Muslim candidates contested from minority quota, so the topper among them Asif Hussain Sohail, is going to be awarded with AP youth Congress general secretary post in the reserved category.
There was nearly 4,500 Muslims in the AP youth Congress, but all four Muslim candidates together were unable to draw even 500 votes.
But losing prestigious posts in the state level doesn’t stop Muslims from celebration. Crackers were burnt; colors were spread in celebration by the supporters of some Muslim victorious candidates in the AP Congress headquarters Gandhi Bahvan. Victory rallies were taken out in open jeeps from their party headquarters to their respective constituencies flanked by senior Muslim Congress leaders, striking the pose that all is very well.