Revanth Reddy Follows YSR’s Plan – Will It Work?

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy entered the post by-election phase with confidence after the Jubilee Hills result and shifted focus straight to the Panchayat elections. The administration now eyes the GHMC, where the term of the current body ends on November 30, 2025, with elections due in 2026.

GHMC contests have never been easy for Congress. The city electorate prioritises infrastructure, investment, and development. A long-standing perception says urban growth slows whenever Congress governs, which explains the party’s weak showing in Hyderabad municipal politics for decades.

Congress finished third in the 2002 MCH elections that had 99 wards. That changed in 2007 when YSR merged the MCH with twelve nearby municipalities. GHMC expanded to 150 wards, diluted existing power centres like TDP and MIM, and delivered the Mayor post to Congress in 2009.

That victory remains the party’s best performance in Hyderabad civic politics. The momentum did not last. In 2016 and 2020, Congress finished a distant third and managed only two wards in each election, despite its state-level comeback later.

Even in the recent Assembly elections, not a single Congress candidate won inside the GHMC region. The setback highlighted how difficult urban consolidation remains for the party, even when public sentiment supports it elsewhere in Telangana.

Revanth Reddy has now revived YSR’s expansion strategy. By merging 27 municipalities, the government increased GHMC strength from 150 to 300 wards. The move seeks to dilute urban dominance and reduce the influence of BRS and BJP pockets around Hyderabad.

With the city area now touching 2,053 sq km, GHMC becomes the largest municipal body in India, overtaking MCD and BMC. Legal challenges remain a concern, which could also delay elections, but the state leadership appears comfortable with that outcome.