Is Telangana CM Revanth Reddy warming up to the AIMIM ahead of the Lok Sabha polls?

The officials of the Port of London Authority presented a comprehensive history of the developmental activities along the Thames river, natural challenges and engineering response and solutions, stakeholder management, investments and revenue management, and best practices evolved over decades.

Reddy and Owaisi visited the iconic Shard building for an aerial study of London’s urban layout and development, an official release said.

Also Read: AIMIM’s Akbaruddin Owaisi sworn-in as Telangana Assembly’s pro-tem Speaker

AIMIM and Congress

Reddy is aware of his wafer-thin majority of 64 seats in the Assembly of 119. Any potential disruptive actions by the BRS, as hinted by its legislators in the past, could jeopardise Reddy’s political standing.

Seemingly mindful of the imperative to ensure stability amid the possibility of MLA defections, Revanth Reddy has been cosying up to the AIMIM.

The AIMIM, with seven MLAs in the Assembly, remains an ally of the BRS. However, considering its historical behaviour, it might not hesitate to align with any party in power in the state. In the past, during the Congress rule in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the AIMIM stood by the party as a trusted ally.

After the formation of Telangana in 2014, the AIMIM aligned itself closely with the BRS, which rose to power on the wave of public support for achieving a separate state.

In a subtle move to align with AIMIM’s political stance, Revanth Reddy has been making overtures, considering their partnership in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He had offered the pro-tem Speaker’s position to Akbaruddin Owaisi when the third Assembly of Telangana met for the first time.

Later, he called the AIMIM MLAs for a review meeting on the extension of the metro rail to the Old City and also to elicit their opinion on cleaning the Musi river and developing it into a commercial hub.

Further, there are indications that the party might concede the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat to sitting MP Asaduddin Owaisi, maintaining the policy followed during their collaboration with the BRS, in a bid to not upset its apple cart in the rest of the 16 parliamentary seats in the state.

Also Read: CAA is ‘unconstitutional’, says AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi

Lok Sabha elections

As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, the party apparatus is actively engaging with leaders from various communities to garner support in a bid to win at least 12 MP seats — the minimum target.

The appointment of National Students Union of India (NSUI) Telangana president Balmoor Venkat, who belongs to the Velama community, and Congress Vice-President B Mahesh Kumar Goud, who is a Backward Class (BC), to the two vacant MLC berths reflects the party’s inclusive approach.

Although the timing for the appointment of chairpersons for various corporations remains uncertain, Congress members anticipate swift action to prepare for the impending showdown with the BRS.

On a high after capturing power in the state, Revanth Reddy said, on Saturday, in London, that he would tour the state extensively to sensitise the workers and make the party battle-ready. He said that he wants to drive the BRS out of Telangana, without a trace.

Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is also expected to arrive in Hyderabad soon to interact with polling booth-level agents to ensure that the party wins a maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha polls, as the momentum caused by the recent Assembly election is expected to give the necessary push to the party.