Rao’s demand for the demolition of Fatima College is seen as a calibrated strategy to challenge the covert Congress-AIMIM understanding, while simultaneously loosening the BRS’s vice-like grip over urban Hyderabad.
Published Jul 12, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 12, 2025 | 9:00 AM
N Ramchander Rao is attempting to balance a narrative of justice with a subtle communal undertone.
Synopsis: In a bid to polarise Hindu voters, BJP’s new state president N Ramchander Rao has demanded the demolition of the Fatima Owaisi College for Women, saying it was constructed on the Full Tank Level of Salkam Cheruvu, an accusation that HYDRAA, too, acknowledged to be true.
Telangana BJP’s newly-appointed president N Ramchander Rao has rolled his first political dice, targeting the Fatima Owaisi College for Women, which is seen as an attempt to polarise Hindu voters ahead of the upcoming by-election for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat.
The by-election has been necessitated by the recent demise of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath, who defeated his nearest rival Mohammad Azharuddin of the Congress by a margin of 16,337 votes in 2023.
Rao’s demand for the demolition of Fatima College is seen as a calibrated strategy to challenge the covert Congress-AIMIM understanding, while simultaneously loosening the BRS’s vice-like grip over urban Hyderabad.
By framing the issue around environmental violations—citing the college’s alleged encroachment on the Full Tank Level (FTL) of Salkam Cheruvu lake—Rao is attempting to balance a narrative of justice with a subtle communal undertone.
Jubilee Hills is a diverse constituency, with Muslims accounting for nearly 35% of the total electorate, which translates to about 1.25 lakh voters out of the total 3.76 lakh electorate. Their voting preference is widely seen as a decisive factor in the outcome.
The electoral dynamics in Jubilee Hills differ significantly from other constituencies. The BRS banks on the support of Andhra Pradesh-origin voters, who are said to have favoured the party for the development initiatives taken by former Chief Ministers K Chandrashekar Rao and former minister KT Rama Rao. The party also has a fair base among Muslim voters, but in the 2023 elections, a substantial section of Muslims shifted their allegiance to the Congress.
Though AIMIM fielded its candidate, Mohammad Rasheed Farazuddin, in 2023, his role was widely perceived to be that of a vote-splitter to help the BRS, then an ally. Farazuddin polled 7,848 votes (4.28%), while Azharuddin of the Congress secured 64,212 votes (35%)—finishing second to BRS’s Maganti Gopinath, who polled 80,549 votes (44%).
The BJP’s Lanka Deepak Reddy also played a spoiler of sorts, garnering 25,866 votes (14.1%).
With both BRS and Congress flexing their muscles for the upcoming contest, the BJP appears to be entering the fray with a more calculated approach, building on the traction it gained in the last election. Rao, known for his unapologetic embrace of Hindutva politics, has chosen to spotlight the Fatima College issue as a rallying point.
The college, located in Bandlaguda in the Chandrayangutta area, is run by a trust headed by AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Rao, a senior advocate and former MLC, has accused the Congress-led state government of selectively enforcing demolition drives in FTL zones through the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).
He accused the A Revanth Reddy government of shielding the interests of Fatima College and warned that if the government failed to act, the BJP would pursue legal options.
Adding to the pressure is Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh, who resigned from the BJP in protest over Rao’s appointment. Singh, while challenging Rao to act against the college, is breathing down his neck.
HYDRAA has acknowledged that the college building lies within the lake’s FTL limits but argued that it has taken a “humanitarian view” since the institution provides low-cost or free education to over 10,000 students. However, this reasoning, critics argued, amounts to an admission of illegality and could weaken the state’s legal standing—something the BJP is now capitalising on.
Rao has seized this opening, alleging that the government’s inaction is aimed at protecting the interests of the Owaisi-led trust, reinforcing the BJP’s broader campaign narrative of minority appeasement by the Congress.
As Jubilee Hills falls under the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, who represents it in the Lok Sabha, will lend his shoulder to enhance the party’s showing. He cannot risk a shoddy performance, as it would also reflect poorly on him.
The party, which believes its influence in Hyderabad is on the uptick, appears keen to use this by-election as a springboard. Even if it does not win, increasing its vote share—particularly among Hindu voters—beyond the 2023 figure of 14% would be seen as a strategic victory.
The by-election presents the BJP with an opportunity to run its roots deep in Hyderabad, where it performed well in the 2020 GHMC elections, winning 46 divisions. Rao, a former corporator, is reportedly eyeing a strong performance in next year’s GHMC polls and is banking on issues like Fatima College to galvanize support.
By targeting the college, Rao is attempting to weave a narrative around the growing influence of AIMIM and the perceived cost of that influence to the majority community. This theme, mirroring the BJP’s national-level strategy, may pay electoral dividends if handled carefully, as it seeks to draw a sharp line between the two major communities.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
