With a majority of 21457 votes, T Raja Singh yet again won the elections from the Goshamahal constituency, defeating BRS candidate Nanda Kishore Vyas Bilal. Congress candidate Sunitha Rao came a distant third fetching merely 6265 votes. While Raja Singh got 80182 votes, the BRS candidate polled 58725 votes.
With his latest victory, the incumbent MLA, who faces 82 cases registered (as per his affidavit) against him primarily for hate speech against Muslims, achieved a hattrick win.
The BJP had revoked his suspension just a few days before the election and offered the ticket to contest the state Assembly elections. He was arrested and suspended from the party last year in August for his alleged derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammad.
Goshamahal constituency includes areas like Dhoolpet, Afzal Gunj, Sultan Bazaar, and Moazzam Jahi Market, among others with a significant migrant population from north of India and Gujarat, and also considerable Muslim population.
During his election campaign, Raja Singh was caught on camera threatening people with death if they do not vote for him. In a video, the BJP leader was heard saying, “This election is a matter of life and death for me. And I do not fear death, nor do I fear to kill someone.” Terming the Hindu voters who do not vote for him as “traitors”, he said, “Think wisely before betraying me because my enmity will cost you dearly.”
In 2018, Raja Singh was the only MLA from the BJP to win the election where he defeated TRS’ (now BRS) Prem Singh Rathode by nearly 18,000 votes. Goshamahal constituency was created in 2008 following the delimitation exercise. In 2009, Congress’ Mukesh Goud was elected from the constituency. Raja Singh, who is said to be his follower, has been winning the subsequent elections since 2014.
Before the elections, all eyes were on the Goshamahal constituency, the Congress accusing the AIMIM of being the B-team of the BJP, asking why they did not field their candidate against Raja Singh, a bitter rival of the Owaisi brothers. However, traditionally, the AIMIM has stayed away from contesting in Goshamahal.