Overview
- The BJP has nominated Md Inayath Ali, a 50-year-old flower seller, in Ward 32 of Karimnagar, a division reported to be nearly 98% Muslim and long controlled by the AIMIM.
- Polling is set for February 11, and parties have intensified outreach to Muslim voters, with BJP leaders emphasizing opposition to the AIMIM rather than to the community.
- The AIMIM is contesting 15 divisions and is positioned to influence the mayoral election if no party secures a clear majority.
- Akbaruddin Owaisi asserted that any future Telangana chief minister would need AIMIM support and alleged that only 38% of a Rs 3,500 crore minority allocation has been released.
- Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged a secret Congress–AIMIM understanding over the mayor’s post, as the AIMIM deploys senior leaders and outside campaigners to defend its turf.