By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: The lone Muslim candidate in the just concluded Andhra Pradesh Assembly by-election Murshida Begum lost her deposit in the Anantapur Urban assembly segment which she had contested on Congress ticket. Murshida Begum got third position with 9,402 votes; second position was bagged by Mahalakshmi Srinivasulu of TDP with 40,980 votes. The seat with considerable Muslim presence has been retained by incumbent MLA G. Gurunatha Reddy of YSR Congress Party with the margin of 24739 votes; he got total of 65,719 votes. In fact Reddy increased his vote percentage up to 19.9 %.
Jagan Mohan Reddy who heads YSR Congress Party has swept the poll by bagging 15 of 18 assembly seats that went to by-poll. He himself is in jail in disproportionate assets case. Ruling Congress Party could win only two seats while one went to TRS.
This appalling defeat of Murshida Begum came as a big surprise and embarrassment to A.P. Congress which used to have strong presence in that constituency. Begum is wife of Rasheed Ahmed, senior Congress leader from Anantapur district, three time president of district wakf board, chairman of Al-Ameen Charities, chairman of district central library, and above all current Anantapur Congress committee president.
Earlier Rasheed Ahmed was the Congress candidate for Anantapur urban constituency, it was even declared in the Congress press release. But suddenly Congress withdrew his name and put his wife as their candidate for the crucial assembly segment.
It was widely believed that Congress provided ticket to a Muslim candidate keeping an eye on other constituencies with Muslims as king makers especially in Rayadurg in Anantapur district and Rayachoty in Cuddapah district. Congress was unable to provide ticket to a Muslim candidate in those assembly segments as chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy pressurized APCC and lobbied for his close aides M. Ramprasad Reddy and P. Venougopal Reddy, both of them lost heavily, as Muslim support went into the favor of Y.S.R Congress Party.