HYDERABAD: In the high-stakes Jubilee Hills bypoll, truth seems to depend on which survey one believes.
The political field is split between two narratives: one drawn by the KK Survey, showing the BRS gaining ground, and another by the Lok Poll Survey, suggesting the Congress maintains a comfortable lead.
This war of survey results has become a defining feature of the campaign, boosting cadre morale on both sides and keeping voters guessing.
Meanwhile, political temperatures have risen sharply with all parties treating the byelection as a prestige fight. Surveys, campaign rhetoric and verbal duels between rival leaders have turned the contest into a battle of perception and pride.
The latest report of KK Surveys and Strategies, which predicts a close contest with a slight edge to the BRS candidate, has energised the pink party’s cadre.
The findings, widely shared on social media, have given the BRS campaign fresh momentum ahead of polling day. In contrast, the Lok Poll Survey has buoyed the Congress camp, indicating a clear lead for the ruling party.
Sources said the survey credits the advantage to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s popularity and the government’s recent welfare initiatives in the constituency.
Meanwhile, both the Congress and the BRS have deployed their own survey teams in Jubilee Hills for daily feedback on their candidates, campaign strategies and public mood. Party sources said reports are being compiled and shared with key leaders, who are using the data to fine-tune their outreach at the community level. However, observers note that many silent voters — those who refrain from expressing their views — could hold the key to the final outcome.
Beyond surveys, the campaign has turned combative. BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of “betraying public trust” by failing to deliver on key election promises. He alleged that “corruption and arrogance have taken over the administration within two years of Congress rule” and that people were already “missing the development tempo” of the BRS era.
Congress leaders hit back, saying the BRS has “no moral right” to criticise it after being in power for a decade. Ministers argued that those who had “pushed Telangana into debt” were now trying to mislead voters with false claims. They maintained that the Revanth Reddy government had restored confidence among youth and investors.
The BJP, meanwhile, has projected itself as a “third alternative”, dismissing both the Congress and the BRS as “two sides of the same coin”. Party leaders claimed that public resentment against both was evident in door-to-door campaigns and street meetings, where the BJP is directly engaging voters without relying on surveys.
Political observers see the Jubilee Hills bypoll as a litmus test for both Revanth Reddy and KT Rama Rao — a symbolic clash for political dominance in Hyderabad. For Revanth, it is a chance to showcase his government’s acceptance; for the BRS, an opportunity to regain lost ground and revive cadre morale.
With polling set for November 11, the outcome of this crucial byelection is expected to decide not just one Assembly seat but also shape the political tone in Telangana’s capital region.
