The Jubilee Hills by-election is scheduled for November 11, with results to be announced on November 14. The election was triggered by the sudden demise of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath. The party has nominated his wife, Maganti Sunitha, hoping to gain from the sympathy factor.
However, Telangana’s electoral history shows that sympathy rarely translates into votes. Since the state’s formation, five by-elections have been held following the death of sitting MLAs, and in four of those, family members fielded on sympathy grounds were defeated.
In 2016, Congress candidate Ramreddy Venkat Reddy’s wife lost to BRS. That same year, after Patlolla Kishta Reddy’s death, his son also lost on a Congress ticket to BRS. In 2020, when BRS MLA Solipeta Ramalinga Reddy passed away, his wife contested but lost to the BJP. Only once, in 2021, did sympathy play a role when Nomula Narasimhaiah’s son won on a BRS ticket.
More recently, in 2024, Secunderabad Cantonment MLA Sayanna’s daughter Lasya Nanditha won the general election following his death. But later, when she passed away, her sister contested in a by-election and lost, despite what many called a “double sympathy wave.”
Interestingly, BRS has benefited most from by-elections where sympathy did not work for rivals, winning four out of five such contests. Now, the party is banking on the same factor to favor its own candidate in Jubilee Hills, hoping for a turnaround.
Except for the BJP, all major parties have announced their candidates and begun campaigning. October 21 is the last date for filing nominations, setting the stage for an intense political battle.
