HYDERABAD: With the nomination process for the Jubilee Hills byelection concluding on Tuesday, all major parties are gearing up for a high-octane campaign, deploying their full strength.
While the ruling Congress and the main opposition BRS are locked in a fierce contest, the BJP is seeking to use the byelection to consolidate its base in the city.
The Congress, which has fielded BC candidate Naveen Yadav, is campaigning aggressively as Chief Minister
A Revanth Reddy is determined to ensure his party’s victory. He hopes that a win will reaffirm public support for his two-year rule and silence critics within the BRS.
With Muslim votes expected to play a decisive role in Jubilee Hills, Congress circles believe that nominating former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin as an MLC will work in their favour. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Vivek Venkataswamy and Thummala Nageswara Rao, who are overseeing the party’s preparations for the bypoll, have already laid the foundation for several development works in the constituency even before the election notification was issued.
After wresting the Secunderabad Cantonment seat from the BRS in the 2024 byelection, the Congress aims to secure another victory in Hyderabad to send a strong message to political rivals ahead of the GHMC elections expected in 2026.
To impress high command
According to political analysts, the ruling party is keen to win the seat to dispel rumours — allegedly spread by the opposition — about differences between Revanth and the Congress high command, while further strengthening the chief minister’s position within the party. Since this is the first byelection after Mahesh Kumar Goud was appointed as the TPCC president, he reportedly believes that a Congress victory in Jubilee Hills would also bolster his standing in the eyes of the high command.
The BRS, equally determined to retain the seat, is seeking to demonstrate that the public is disillusioned with the Congress’ two-year rule. The pink party’s working president KT Rama Rao and former minister T Harish Rao have taken charge of the campaign, assigning responsibilities to MLAs, former ministers and ex-corporation chairpersons across divisions to ensure the victory of Maganti Sunitha, wife of the late Maganti Gopinath, whose untimely death necessitated the bypoll. Party leaders are distributing “Baki Cards” (debt cards) door to door to highlight what they describe as the Congress government’s failures, urging voters to elect the BRS and “teach the ruling party a lesson”.
Having already lost one seat in Hyderabad, the BRS fears that another defeat could further demoralise its cadre. Following setbacks in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and the defection of several MLAs, the party views a win in Jubilee Hills as crucial to boosting morale ahead of the upcoming local body polls.
Matter of prestige
The BJP, eyeing power in Telangana, is also taking the Jubilee Hills byelection seriously. This is the first election under the leadership of N Ramchander Rao as state president, and the constituency falls within Union Minister G Kishan Reddy’s Lok Sabha segment — making it a matter of prestige for the party.
Although the BJP underperformed in Jubilee Hills during the Assembly polls, it fared significantly better in the subsequent Lok Sabha elections. The party believes that maintaining that momentum could bring victory within reach.
It has renominated Lankala Deepak Reddy, its 2023 candidate, expecting his familiarity among voters to work in its favour. Political observers note that the BJP’s vote share could prove decisive, potentially tilting the contest either towards the Congress or the BRS.
Meanwhile, independent candidate Salman Khan, founder of the Hyderabad Youth Courage (HYC) organisation, is also campaigning vigorously. Known for his fiery speeches aimed at mobilising Muslim youth, his presence has sparked speculation about which major party might lose votes due to a potential split in the minority electorate.
