The Jubilee Hills by-election will be held on November 11. Maganti Sunitha, wife of late Maganti Gopinath, is contesting as the BRS candidate, while Naveen Yadav represents Congress.
BRS is relying heavily on the sympathy wave following Gopinath’s sudden passing. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, on the other hand, wants to secure this win for Congress and reinforce his political grip on Hyderabad.
Congress hopes its position in power will work to its advantage, while BRS believes anti-incumbency sentiment will favour them. On the ground, BRS appears more active, with all key leaders campaigning aggressively, especially targeting women voters through the sympathy factor.
However, the absence of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is a visible setback. KCR has stayed away from public appearances, rarely stepping out of his Erravelli farmhouse. Though he held a few internal meetings, party sources confirm he will not campaign this time.
This silence has left the cadre uncertain about the party’s strategy. Some leaders feel that if KCR’s intention is to promote KTR, doing so from the Opposition benches makes little sense. Others argue that if KCR is unwell, he should step aside as party president to set the right expectations.
A loss in Jubilee Hills would mark a serious crisis for BRS, raising questions about its leadership and direction. Meanwhile, Revanth Reddy plans to personally campaign for two days in Jubilee Hills, signaling Congress’s determination to win this crucial seat.
Congress failed to win any Hyderabad seats in the 2023 Assembly elections but later captured the Cantonment seat in a by-election. This time, the Chief Minister’s direct involvement aims to energize party ranks. Ministers, MPs, and MLAs are already active in the field.
BRS supporters, however, expect KCR to show the same urgency as Revanth Reddy. For BRS, the Jubilee Hills result carries far greater stakes while a Congress loss won’t affect its rule, another setback could deepen BRS’s struggles in the Opposition.
