Going by leads in the Telangana Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gained more than multi-folds compared to their 2018 tally. Before noon, the BJP was seen leading in eight to 10 seats.
What should come as a shot in the arm for the BJP is the fact that the seats they were leading are spread across the state. It has to be stressed that the BJP was accused of slowing down their Deccan march in the last few months by ousting their aggressive leader and then-state President, Bandi Sanjay.
It was thought that the strategic move by the BJP was to ensure that they did not cut into BRS votes, which could benefit the Congress. However, the three-day campaign of PM Narendra Modi energized the cadre and introduced a favorable mood for the BJP in the state, so much so that the BJP’s performance has also outdone the predictions of the exit polls, which gave them lower figures.
PM Modi also attended outreach programs of BC and SC communities, which must have also helped the BJP’s run. The BJP candidates could be seen leading in north Telangana and Hyderabad regions.
Now, coming to the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the party seems to have suffered a setback due to the campaign of Congress, bracketing the party with BJP. The AIMIM, which had seven seats from the old city of Hyderabad, was struggling to retain their seats, leading in only four seats in the initial rounds of counting. The AIMIM gave tickets to nine candidates in segments located in and around Hyderabad.
This is probably the first time in many years that AIMIM is losing out to Congress in its bastions like Nampally. This is also the constituency where AIMIM supremo and MP Asaduddin Owaisi campaigned vigorously. The elections are all set to usher in a new inning for both the BJP and the AIMIM ahead of parliamentary elections.
