All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and sitting MP Asaduddin Owaisi is strongly placed in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha contest, which has turned into one of the most looked-after faceoffs after BJP fielded its firebrand leader Madhavi Latha from the seat, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll predicted.
Madhavi Latha, a Sanatana Dharma proponent and BJP’s first ever female candidate in Telangana, has been challenging Owaisi’s dominance in the predominantly Muslim constituency with her pitch of development, women’s rights, and alleged Muslim radicalisation.
However, the four-time MP still remains popular among Muslim voters and maintains a strong base in the constituency, the survey stated.
The India Today-Axis My India exit poll is based on 5.8 lakh interviews conducted in all 543 parliamentary constituencies (read the full methodology here).
Health warning: Exit polls can get it wrong.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, AIMIM chief secured victory from the Hyderabad seat by bagging around 60 per cent of the total votes polled in the constituency. The Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency consists of seven Assembly seats, six of which are represented by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen.
AIMIM has maintained a stronghold in this constituency, winning the Lok Sabha polls nine consecutive times since 1989. Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi first represented Hyderabad as an independent candidate from 1984 to 1989, then as an AIMIM MP from 1989 to 2004.
Since 2004, Asaduddin Owaisi has continued this legacy as the MP for Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the India Today-Axis My India exit poll also projected a rout for Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in Telangana in the Lok Sabha polls.
The survey predicted that BJP is likely to put up a surprise show in Telangana and may get 11-12 of 17 Lok Sabha seats, while the ruling Congress could end up getting 4-6 constituencies.
The exit poll also suggested that both BRS and AIMIM could win 0-1 seat each.
In terms of vote share, the NDA is expected to get 43 per cent of total votes polled, followed by 39 per cent for the INDIA bloc, 13 per cent for BRS, 2 per cent for AIMIM and 3 per cent for other parties, the survey shows.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BRS won nine seats, followed by BJP four, Congress three and AIMIM one.
Source Agencies
