Hyderabad: BJP has fielded a Muslim candidate in Karimnagar municipal corporation for the Feb 11 municipal elections—a first for the saffron party in the town in 50 years, and a rare experiment in a civic division dominated by the AIMIM.The nomination of Inayath Ali, a 50-year-old flower shop owner, underscores the BJP’s attempt to breach the AIMIM vote bank and widen its social outreach under the leadership of Karimnagar MP and Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay.Ali is contesting from ward 32, a Muslim majority pocket long considered an AIMIM bastion, outside Hyderabad. Of the 5,030 voters in the ward, around 98% are Muslims, with only a small Hindu presence. AIMIM has held sway here for nearly four decades, and notably, the BJP had never contested this seat earlier. This time, however, the party has chosen to enter the fray with a Muslim face.Ali, who has worked closely with Sanjay for several years, said he was personally encouraged by the Union minister to contest. Sanjay, a former Telangana BJP chief, is widely known for his strong Hindutva stance, making the choice of candidate politically striking.Balancing electioneering with running his flower business, Ali ran a modest campaign with the support of 20 to 30 young volunteers from the area. He admits the decision to contest on a BJP ticket was met with scepticism within his own community. Despite the pressure, Ali said his family stood firmly behind his decision to contest.“Running as a BJP candidate in our area is no easy feat. Many friends questioned my decision to run under the BJP banner, but I went ahead because Sanjay assured me that my ward would benefit from development funded by central resources. A lot of people in our ward do not realise that the central govt provides various schemes that also apply to Muslims. The conditions in our area are dire, with terrible roads, and I am reminding residents that they, too, can benefit from these schemes,” he said.Sanjay, on his part, termed the nomination as part of the party’s broader political approach. “We are against the AIMIM, not against any religion or community. BJP wants everyone to progress in the country,” he said.Ali’s campaign has drawn a strong response from AIMIM, with senior leaders and campaigners from outside Telangana stepping in. Sahar Sheikh, a 22-year-old AIMIM corporator from Mumbai who recently made headlines for her ‘paint Mumbai green’ remarks, also campaigned in the ward.Sufi Samvad initiativeApart from being a local trader, Ali is also the Telangana president of Sufi Samvad (Sufi dialogue), a BJP Minority Morcha initiative aimed at engaging with the Muslim community across the country.His association with Sanjay dates back to the latter’s tenure as chairman of the Karimnagar Co-Operative Urban Bank Ltd. “He always responded to my requests for our people, whether it was school admissions or hospital services. When I expressed the dire situation in our ward, he told me that people like me should take the initiative,” Ali recalled.Ali had joined the BJP after Sanjay became Karimnagar MP in 2019.
