HYDERABAD: As if by reflex, all political parties have swung into action after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the by-election schedule for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat. Parties are finalising their candidates and sharpening their campaign strategies to capture the high-profile constituency.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is determined to retain the seat, which fell vacant after the untimely death of Maganti Gopinath. His wife, Maganti Sunitha, has been announced as the BRS candidate.
The party has appointed former ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Mohammad Mahmood Ali and other senior leaders to oversee the campaign and ensure victory. It is also assigning MLAs, MLCs and other senior leaders as booth and division-level in-charges.
Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao and MLA T Harish Rao have already begun campaigning in the constituency. They are attacking the ruling Congress for its alleged governance failures and the BJP for the Centre’s inaction on key public issues.
Cong determined to win seat
The Congress, on the other hand, is determined to wrest the seat from the BRS to prove that its winning streak is continuing. The party wants to project a victory here as public endorsement of its state policies.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is personally monitoring the campaign. He believes that if the party could win the Cantonment byelection, it can also capture Jubilee Hills, which falls within the GHMC limits. A win here would help the Congress claim that the BRS’ influence in Hyderabad has been on the wane since the 2023 Assembly elections, when Congress failed to win even a single seat in the GHMC area.
To strengthen its campaign, the Congress has formed a three-member ministerial team comprising Hyderabad district in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Thummala Nageswara Rao, and G Vivek Venkataswamy. They have been busy for weeks, laying foundation stones, inaugurating development works, and participating in welfare programme rollouts to boost the party’s visibility.
The party has also shortlisted three aspirants — V Naveen Yadav, Bonthu Rammohan and C N Reddy — based on the recommendations of in-charge ministers.
The names have been sent to the AICC for final approval. Sources indicate that Naveen Yadav is the frontrunner, given his local base and prior experience contesting from Jubilee Hills in 2014 on an AIMIM ticket. The AIMIM is also expected to support him, a factor that could decisively influence the bypoll outcome.
The Congress is deploying MLAs, MLCs and MPs as booth- and division-level in-charges to strengthen its campaign machinery. Several key ministers are also likely to be appointed as observers for the bypoll.
BJP has a point to prove
For the BJP, this election is a chance to prove that it has expanded its base in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area.
Party leaders claim that they are in a stronger position than Congress, citing support from diverse sections of Hyderabad’s electorate. They point out that the BJP had won 46 divisions in the last GHMC polls, underscoring its urban reach.
The Jubilee Hills segment falls under Union minister G Kishan Reddy’s Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, making a win here personally significant for him. He has been actively working to turn the tide in the BJP’s favour.
The BJP has constituted a three-member committee to shortlist candidates. The state election committee will meet on Tuesday at the party office to finalise its choice.
According to party insiders, Lankala Deepak Reddy, who contested unsuccessfully from Jubilee Hills in the 2023 Assembly elections, is a frontrunner for the ticket. The party is also considering Juturi Keerthi Reddy as a possible candidate.
The BJP has appointed key leaders — including MP M Raghunandan Rao and former MP Garikapati Mohan Rao — as observers for the segment. All MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and senior leaders have been directed to fan out across the constituency and work to ensure the victory of the party’s nominee.
