Unlike the 2014 and 2019 parliament elections in Telangana after the state was formed after bifurcation, the 2024 elections have seen communal polarisation in more than half a dozen constituencies.
In the 2019 elections, the BRS had won nine seats, BJP four, Congress three and MIM one.
This election has seen how voters were divided on communal lines in Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar Lok Sabha seats represented by the BJP MPs. The Minority Hyderabad LS seat was however the pocket borough of the MIM, which had been representing it for the last three decades. BJP top leaders also followed the same narrative of communal polarisation.
The same tempo continued during the campaign too with the issue of Muslim reservations dominating the narrative by the BJP and the impression being created among the voters that the Congress-led INDIA bloc was pampering the minorities with its promises. The open assertion that the BJP Government would do away with Muslim reservations had a cascading effect as the Muslim minorities, who had backed the BRS during the last elections decided to sail en masse with the Congress.
This automatic transfer of allegiance led to the majority of Hindu voters taking sides with the BJP. This was visible in Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Zaheerabad, Mahabubnagar, Peddapalli and Medak Lok Sabha seats. Minorities have a considerable presence in more than 25 Assembly segments in Telangana. Ironically, except for the seven constituencies represented by Muslim MLAs from the MIM, no other constituency out of 119 has a representative of the minority community in the Assembly.
As per the 2011 census, the total population of the State stood at 3,51,45,632 of which Hindus stood at 2,99,01737, followed by Muslims at 44,64,852 and Christians at 4,46,077. In terms of percentage Hindus constitute 85.1 per cent with Muslims coming next at 12.7 per cent and Christians at 1.3 per cent.
