Hyderabad, Apr 18 (PTI) Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday demanded that the ruling Congress and main opposition BRS explain to the people why they are not contesting the April 23 MLC election in Hyderabad.

The Telangana BJP president alleged that both Congress and BRS are trying to make the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM candidate win the election by choosing not to contest the MLC election from the Hyderabad Local Authorities' constituency.

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He charged that BRS and Congress field candidates in Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the strongholds of AIMIM in Hyderabad, despite knowing that they would not secure deposits—only to split the anti-AIMIM vote.

"I would like to ask today—why are Congress and BRS not fighting this poll? They have to tell the people of Telangana and the country," Kishan Reddy told PTI Videos.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who claims to be working to "safeguard secularism", must answer why Congress is working together with AIMIM, which is a "rank communal party", he alleged.

"Congress and BRS are supporting the AIMIM candidate (in the MLC poll). They are trying to make him win. Neither BRS nor Congress is fighting against AIMIM. Both are dancing to the tunes of AIMIM. Both parties support the rowdyism of AIMIM. They support the communalism of AIMIM," Kishan Reddy claimed.

BJP is the only party contesting the MLC election, challenging the AIMIM, he added.

Meanwhile, state Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud dismissed the allegation that "Congress is supporting AIMIM".

BJP and Kishan Reddy have been "seeking votes in the name of religion without prioritising development", he charged.

The election to the Legislative Council from the Hyderabad Local Authorities' constituency is scheduled to be held on April 23.

The contest in the election is between BJP's N Goutham Rao and AIMIM nominee Mirza Riyaz Ul Hassan Effendi. Congress and BRS have not fielded candidates.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)