By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: The first legislative assembly of residuary Andhra Pradesh consisted of Rayalseema and costal Andhra region will have four Muslims all elected on YSR Congress ticket.
Congress party had 8 Muslim contestants, the highest number compared to any other party, but all of them including two sitting MLAs were bitten dust in anti-Congress wave. Madanpalle sitting MLA Shahjahan Basha came on fourth position getting just 7,357 votes and Shaik Mastan Wali MLA of Guntur east lost with 70,000 margin getting just 4,232 votes. Except Inyatullah from Hindupur and Ahmed Ali Khan from Kurnool who finished 3rd getting some 7,000 and 16,000 votes respectively other five new Muslim contestants of Congress struggled to reach even the fourth spot.
YSR Congress cheif Jaganmohan Reddy.
Abdul Gani the lone Muslim MLA of Telugu Desam Party in Seema Andhra had to vacate his seat of Hindupur for N. Balakrishna brother in law of Chandrababu Naidu who won hands down. TDP which was fighting in alliance with BJP was certain of not getting major portion of Muslim votes but in a symbolic gesture they fielded only one Muslim candidate Iqbal Ahmed Khan from Pileru. Mr. Khan finished third getting 33,857 votes losing to YSR Congress Ramchandra Reddy with nearly 40,000 margin.
A respite for Telugu Muslims came from YSR Congress party which ensured that community representation doesn’t dwindle in the newly separated debut assembly. YSR Congress gave ticket to four Muslim candidates and all of them registered victory with full community support countering a strong TDP wave.
Vijaywada which is the front runner to become new capital of residuary Andhra Pradesh is sending one Muslim to debut assembly. Jaleel Khan of YSR Congress won from Vijaywada west in heavy communally polarized fight with a margin of just 3,000 votes. Jaleel Khan scored 63,180 votes while his nearest rival Srinivas Rao of BJP got 60,072 votes.
NMD Farooq at left with TDP president Chandra babu.
Mohammed Mustafa Shaik of YSR Congress won from Guntur east getting 74,131 votes while TDP candidate Gridhar Rao finished second getting 70,980 votes. This seat was earlier represented by Mastan Wali of Congress who even lost his deposit.
Kadiri witnessed a neck to neck battle between Atthar Chand Basha of YSR Congress and Ventak Prasad of TDP who got 80,671 votes, Mr. Chand Basha wrestled away the seat getting 81,639 votes. C.M. Ilyaz of MIM was also in the fray but he could not play a spoiler for YSRCongress as he got only 320 votes.
Kadappa is the home district of YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy, last minority affairs minister Ahmedullah represented Muslim dominated Kadapa town in two consecutive terms. But this time he opted out of race correctly presuming debacle for Congress. But the seat remained in family as his cousin brother Azmath Basha contested on YSRCongress ticket and won with over 45,000 vote’s margin against Durgaprasad of TDP.
Jaleel Khan celebrating his victory in Vijaywada.
For Parliament only two Muslims were in fray from major political parties, Abdul Waheed Shaik of Congress from Guntur and NMD Farooq of TDP from Nandyal.
Senior TDP leader and Former minister NMD Farooq gave a determinant fight to sitting MP SPY Reddy of YSR Congress but lost in his second consecutive attempt to grab the seat. Mr. Farooq pulled 5,16,645 votes but SPY Reddy thwarted TDP getting 6,22,411 votes. Although a Muslim dominated seat Mr. Farooq is believed to have lost as a section of Muslims in Nandyal voted for YSR Congress considering TDP-BJP alliance. But still Mr. Farooq did receive huge community support that was desperate to send a Muslim from Seema Andhra to parliament.
Since past two decades no Muslim has been elected to parliament from Seema Andhra region, late vice president of TDP Lal Jan Basha won Guntur in 1991 since then no Telugu Muslim was able to make it to parliament. Waheed Shaik of Congress tried his luck from Guntur but since the beginning it was never has been his fight, like rest of Congress candidates in Seema Andhra Mr. Waheed lost his deposit getting just 46,818 votes losing with over 5 lakh margin.
For the first time emerging Muslim parties tried their luck in Seema Andhra but could not break any ice with traditional politics.
Elected Muslim MLAs 1) Mustafa Shaik 2) Azmath Basha 3) Atthar Basha 4) Jaleel Khan.
Noor Ahmed Madani, Social Democratic Party of India state president contested from Kurnool Loksabah and finished fourth getting 11,393 votes. In Kurnool assembly SDPI’s Abdul Waris finished fifth getting 2,886 votes while Zafarullah of WPI got just 199 votes. Habibullah contested from Nandayal and finished third getting 6,091 votes thus making an honourable mark for SDPI. MIM’s Karimullah who contested from the same seat could not get more than 840 votes.
In Seema Andhra MIM didn’t gain much in Nandyal, the only parliament seat MIM contested. P.V.N Reddy of MIM got just 4,738 votes. Except Khader Basha from Rayachoti who got 2,775 votes no other MIM candidate from 12 other assembly segments they contested in Seema Andhra could cross the thousand vote mark.