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It does not take long for tables to turn as far as alliances go in politics. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's vanishing act has in more ways altered the Jubilee Hills political arena. Initially backing Congress candidate Naveen Yadav, Owaisi has ghosted campaigns post-Azhar's induction—a silence that could erode Congress's edge. "Owaisi's endorsement was the glue; his absence might unravel the Muslim unity Congress craves," warns a veteran observer.

The 1.2 lakh strong Muslim vote out of the 4 lakh-strong electorate could tilt the scales and the tacit support of Owaisi would help the BRS. As polls loom, Jubilee Hills isn't just an election—it's a litmus test for Muslim allegiance in Telangana. Will Azhar's glamour eclipse BRS's legacy, or will welfare nostalgia prevail? With reports signaling a photo finish, one thing's crystal: ignore the Muslim pulse, and you are bound to face the music. The verdict? A referendum on who truly champions the minority mantle.

This segment, long a BRS stronghold, now witnesses a tug-of-war between the pink party and a resurgent Congress, with religious demographics dictating the drama. Since Telangana's birth in 2014, BRS's Maganti Gopinath has clinched a hat-trick of victories in 2014, 2018, and 2023, riding high on Muslim loyalty in Greater Hyderabad. Outside the Old City's AIMIM bastion, Muslims rallied behind BRS, enchanted by welfare bonanzas like Shaadi Mubarak, minority residential schools, overseas scholarships, and more. These schemes forged an impregnable fortress, propelling BRS to stellar showings in the 2016 and 2020 GHMC polls. "BRS didn't just win votes; they bought hearts with targeted benevolence," quips a political analyst, underscoring how the party turned welfare into electoral gold.

But Congress, sniffing vulnerability, unleashed a masterstroke: inducting cricket icon Mohammad Azharuddin into the state cabinet mere weeks before polling. Azhar, who bled 16,000 votes to Gopinath in the 2023 assembly face-off, now symbolizes Congress's olive branch to Muslims. Party strategists bet big that this "son-of-the-soil" elevation will shatter BRS's monopoly, especially in a neck-and-neck contest. Yet, BRS working president KT Rama Rao smirks, claiming credit: "We exposed Congress's Muslim neglect—no minister, MLA, or MLC from the community. Their panic inducted Azhar; it's our backlash that forced their hand." Indeed, BRS's relentless drumbeat on discrimination painted Congress as aloof, compelling this eleventh-hour pivot. As it stands, the changes in the last few days will have a huge effect in the Jubilee Hills by poll. a