Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a press conference regarding the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: The Election Commission on Monday announced that the high-profile Jubilee Hills Assembly by-poll will be held on November 11, following the demise of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath.
This high-stakes battle is being closely watched to gauge the urban voter sentiment in Telangana, particularly in the GHMC region, which had largely backed the BRS in the last Assembly elections.
Both the ruling Congress and the BJP are keen to secure a victory in Jubilee Hills, viewing it as an opportunity to strengthen their foothold and influence in the state’s urban constituencies.
The BRS has already announced Gopinath’s widow, Sunitha, as its candidate and launched its campaign in the constituency. The Congress and BJP, meanwhile, are yet to finalize their nominees. In the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress had fielded former cricketer Md. Azharuddin, who polled 35.03% of the votes but lost to Gopinath. A few days ago, the Congress leadership nominated Azharuddin as an MLC, effectively ruling him out of the bypoll. It is now learnt that the party is considering a strong BC candidate for the seat.
Telangana PCC chief B Mahesh Kumar Goud shortly after the EC's announcement on Monday indicated that the Jubilee Hills ticket is likely to go to a BC candidate. “The ticket is expected to be finalized within the next two to three days. After discussions with the Chief Minister tomorrow, the list of candidates will be sent to the AICC. The candidate for the by-election will be chosen based on reports submitted by the three in-charge ministers. Just like the Cantonment by-election, we are determined to win the Jubilee Hills by-election as well.
The difference between the previous BRS government and the current Congress people’s government is clearly visible. The people of Jubilee Hills are certain to support the Congress government, which is committed to development and welfare,” he said.
The BJP has constituted a three-member internal committee to select its candidate. Jubilee Hills falls under the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, represented in Parliament by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. With the poll schedule now announced, the BJP is also expected to name its candidate shortly.
The constituency’s voter base is a mix of affluent residents, middle-class families, and lower-income groups, with a significant Muslim population in certain pockets.
Calling the bypoll a golden chance to discipline the Congress, BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao recently said, “If we don’t stop them now, their misrule will continue unchecked for three more years.” He appealed to voters to support and elect BRS candidate Sunitha, wife of Maganti Gopinath, asserting that across castes and communities, people still see K. Chandrashekar Rao as their Chief Minister of choice.