The Jubilee Hills by-election is scheduled for November 11, with results to be announced on November 14. The election was necessitated by the sudden demise of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath.
The BRS has fielded Maganti Sunitha, Gopinath’s wife, hoping to draw on public sympathy. The party expected others to stay away from the contest, but that hasn’t happened. The ruling Congress has finalized Naveen Yadav as its candidate, while the BJP is yet to announce one.
Surveys predict that BJP will finish third with around 15–16% vote share. As an urban constituency, Jubilee Hills still gives the BJP a modest base of support. The Congress currently leads in projections, with BRS trailing in second place.
If the BJP truly wants to stop Congress, analysts say it should consider pulling out or fielding a weak candidate to consolidate anti-Congress votes behind the BRS. The party took a similar approach in the 2023 Assembly election, when it scaled down its campaign after removing Bandi Sanjay as state president.
Skipping a by-election might look awkward, but the BJP could still limit campaigning to avoid splitting votes. The contest also doubles as a litmus test for Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, coming two years into his tenure.
A Congress win would strengthen Revanth’s leadership and bring stability to his government. However, if the BJP decides to challenge aggressively, it risks reviving the BRS and weakening its own long-term position in Telangana.
The nomination window for the by-election will remain open from October 13 to October 21.
