BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha (R).
Credit: X/@magantigopimla
Hyderabad: The Jubilee Hills bypoll concluded amid mild tension in parts of the constituency, with BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha alleging intimidation and malpractice by ruling Congress leaders.
The by-election recorded a voter turnout of 48.24 per cent by 5 pm. Over 4.01 lakh voters were eligible to exercise their franchise, with 58 candidates in the fray.
Polling began at 7 am across 407 polling stations in the constituency, which encompasses the upscale Jubilee Hills along with several middle-class colonies, weaker section neighborhoods, and slums.
Despite its affluent profile, the area has consistently registered low voter participation - 56.85 per cent in 2014, 47.2 per cent in 2018, and 47.58 per cent in the 2024 assembly elections.
Tension flared briefly in Krishna Nagar, where Sunitha and her supporters staged a protest in front of a function hall, alleging that the Congress was sheltering outsiders to cast fake votes.
Congress workers, however, claimed that the hall had been hired in advance to serve food to their polling agents. A minor clash ensued before police intervened and restored order.
Sunitha accused the Congress of attempting to manipulate the poll through bogus voting, using fake voter IDs, and intimidating BRS workers.
She alleged that rowdy elements and associates of local Congress leader Naveen Yadav were threatening her party’s supporters and voters. Sunitha further claimed that Congress workers had even cast votes in the names of deceased persons by altering photographs in voter lists.