Congress plans Minority Convention in Old City next month

The Congress party is planning to organize a National Minorities Convention in the Old City of Hyderabad in the month of March.
The convention will be organized by Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee (GHCC) Minorities Department. Ex-Corporator Mohammed Ghouse will be convener of proposed convention.
“Several prominent leaders of Congress party from across the country will participate in the convention where issues pertaining to Muslim community would be discussed. The final date and venue will be finalised after having discussion with TPCC President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Leader of Opposition in Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir,” informed GHCC Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail after meeting AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh at New Delhi on Monday. Accompanied with other senior leaders including Syed Nizamuddin, M. Vijay Kumar, Mohammed Ghouse and others, Abdullah Sohail called on Digvijay Singh and other national leaders on the outcome of just concluded GHMC elections. He said that the Congress High Command has been apprised of the party’s campaign in Old City, challenges and difficulties faced during campaign and the final outcome.
Abdullah Sohail said although the final outcome of GHMC elections was not favourable, the Congress party was successful in bringing awareness among the people of Old City on their basic needs. He said it was due to Congress campaign that the MIM was forced to come out with a manifesto titled “Hyderabad Action Plan” for the first time in its history. The MIM has lost its voters base in almost all the areas of Old City. Compared to 2014 General Elections, the MIM lost nearly one lakh votes in GHMC elections. It lost 8060 votes in Charminar, 17,253 in Chandrayangutta, 10,986 in Bahadurpura, 27,268 in Bahadurpura, 8,976 in Nampally and 23,361 in Malakpet.
The Congress party was able to increase its vote bank in Old City by a very slight margin. Congress votes increased by 7722 in Charminar, 303 in Yakutpura, 338 in Goshamahal and 27,295 in Malakpet. “Although the Congress party did not gain from the MIM loss, but it created awareness among the people to the extent that they voted for TRS with the hope that their grievances would be resolved. The MIM was able to secure just 19% of actual votes in 60 wards from where it contested. This could also mean that 81% of people did not vote in favour of MIM,” Abdullah Sohail said.
Abdullah Sohail said that the Congress party did not enter the Old City just to win the elections or defeat MIM. He said Congress party wanted to bring a change among the people and enlighten them about their problems and possible solutions. Irrespective of several irregularities committed by the MIM and TRS during election campaign and on Election Day, the Congress candidates bravely contested the election and succeeded in empowering the voters. He said that the proposed convention in Old City would discuss several national and local issues relating to Muslim community.