HYDERABAD: With polling day for the Jubilee Hills byelection nearing, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has sharpened his attacks on the BJP and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, setting the stage for an increasingly charged contest.
His campaign, marked by repeated claims of a “secret understanding” between the BJP and BRS, has injected a new edge into the bypoll narrative, one that appears designed to force the BJP into open confrontation.
Analysts say this strategy is meant to polarise people and draw Muslim voters, who are sizeable in the constituency, towards the Congress.
This approach has been reflected in Revanth’s speeches throughout the week. At a series of rallies, he accused the BJP-led Union government of blocking prosecution permission against BRS working president KT Rama Rao in the Formula E race case.
Viral remarks, sharp reactions
He also questioned the delay in the CBI probe into the Medigadda barrage collapse, despite the state government’s formal request. The chief minister’s remarks have gone viral, triggering sharp reactions and drawing attention from both allies and rivals.
Political observers say the Congress campaign in Jubilee Hills hinges on pulling the BJP into the frame, both as a rival and as a foil. Party insiders believe that the chief minister’s aggressive tone could push the BJP to respond more directly, fragmenting the opposition vote and preventing a clear consolidation behind the BRS.
The BJP, however, had remained largely restrained until Wednesday. Analysts had noted that this subdued response could hurt the BJP’s visibility among its own supporters.
That changed on Thursday, when Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay campaigned for BJP candidate Lankala Deepak Reddy in Borabanda.
His speeches accused both the Congress and the BRS of maintaining “understandings” with the AIMIM, suggesting that neither party could claim independence in Hyderabad’s politics.
His comments drew crowds and altered the tone of the campaign, with commentators seeing the entry of the Karimnagar MP as a signal that the BJP may now be seeking to energise its core base.
Meanwhile, Revanth has kept his focus on projecting the BJP and BRS as “two sides of the same coin”. He reminded voters that while the BRS lost deposits in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won eight seats in Telangana, a contrast he presents as evidence of coordination between the two.
Relentless attacks
The BRS, facing daily attacks, has been quick to hit back. Rama Rao has challenged the chief minister to act on his allegations if he truly believes them, dismissing the charges as an attempt to divert attention from Congress’s governance record.
Political circles describe the contest as a three-cornered contest, with the BJP’s vote share likely to decide which of the two main contenders, the Congress or the BRS, gains the upper hand. A senior politician familiar with constituency trends said that if the BJP polls beyond 15,000 votes, the BRS could well lose; if not, the Congress may struggle to widen its margin.
Observers say Revanth’s sustained targeting of the BJP appears to serve a dual purpose: keeping the spotlight on the Union government while rallying minority and anti-BJP voters behind Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav. The BJP’s late campaign push, led by Bandi Sanjay, may now test whether the party can reclaim lost ground or whether it has already been drawn into Revanth’s polarising frame.