Hyderabad: BJP candidate for Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat K Madhavi Latha may be a novice in politics but she certainly has a knack for triggering controversies.
As Hyderabad went to polls on Monday, Madhavi was seen purportedly asking burqa-clad women Muslim voters to show their faces to compare with the photo identity cards surfaced. This triggered a wave of reactions, with police soon booking her on charges of violating the Representation of People Act and interfering with the electoral process.
Earlier, her bow and arrow move during a rally in the city had also led to a controversy. Contesting against All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief and four-time MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Madhavi Latha has kept herself in the news.
Known for speeches on Sanatana Dharma
Madhavi Latha took social media by storm with her speeches on Sanatana Dharma even before announcing her candidature. She is well-versed in Sanatana Dharma and traditional values. Like Owaisi, Madhavi Latha, too, hails from Old City in Hyderabad, which is known as an AIMIM bastion. She grew up at Santoshnagar Colony in the city and was involved in many local charitable initiatives.
Madhavi Latha, triple talaq activist and Bharatanatyam dancer
She is a cultural activist with a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from Nizam College and a Master's degree in Political Science from Osmania University. She was at the forefront of the campaign against instant triple talaq. Her candidature assumes significance since Asaduddin Owaisi has been one of the critical voices against the law that criminalised the practice of instant triple talaq in 2019 and called it a “part of many of the attacks on Muslim identity and citizenship."
Philanthropist and entrepreneur
Apart from her philanthropic work, Madhavi Latha is an entrepreneur, an NCC cadet and a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She is the chairperson of the Hyderabad-based Virinchi Hospitals. She called her candidature an acknowledgement of her near-two-decades-long charity work. The trust provides healthcare, education and livelihood to the underprivileged people in the city.
Madhavi Latha has gained admirers, thanks to her spirited speeches, most of which are centred around the need for changing the Old City of Hyderabad. She had claimed on multiple occasions that if she emerged victorious, she would focus on resolving problems related to traffic congestion, inadequate public facilities and outdated infrastructure.
She won appreciation for her work to improve the conditions of both Hindu and Muslim women. While Madhavi Latha's main focus has been on infrastructure and improving the living conditions of women, her opponent Owaisi has a completely different agenda.
Tough task for Madhavi Latha
For the first time, the BJP has selected a female nominee for the Hyderabad segment. Winning from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency is a tough task for Madhavi as it is an Owaisi family bastion. Since 1984, candidates from the Owaisi family or those supported by them have been winning from this seat.
Madhavi Latha courts controversy
However, she landed in trouble on two occasions. She has courted controversy after a video of her gesturing to shoot an arrow, purportedly in the direction of a mosque came to light. She was participating in a Sri Rama Navami procession near Siddiamber Bazaar Junction in the Old City of Hyderabad while travelling in an open-top vehicle. BJP MLA T Raja Singh organised the rally. However, she refuted the allegations stating the full video was not uploaded and she bowed the arrow into the sky.
The Hyderabad Police has registered a case against BJP's Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat candidate, Madhavi Latha after a video showed her checking the voter ID cards of burqa-clad Muslim women when she visited a polling station. She has been booked on charges of violating the Representation of People's Act and interfering with the electoral process.
Read more: Hyderabad BJP Candidate Madhavi Latha Booked After Video Of Her Checking Voter ID Cards Surfaces
