Hyderabad: As the campaign for the Jubilee Hills bypoll drew curtains on Sunday, November 9, key political figures engaged in a door-to-door campaign urging voters to elect their respective candidates.
Several campaign vehicles of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress moved in Yellareddyguda and Erragadda divisions in a last-minute bid to woo voters.
In Yousufguda LN Nagar division, BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) walked through narrow lanes, interacting with people, distributing pamphlets and urging them to vote for party candidate Maganti Sunita, widow of late Maganti Gopinath, whose demise in June this year necessitated the bypoll.
Bright pink banners with Sunita’s image adorned the party office. Many gathered to show their support. “I have come from Bhadrachalam, paddling my cycle. It took me six days to complete the journey,” said Krishna Murthy, a hardcore BRS supporter.
His cycle was decorated with pictures of Maganti Sunitha, who, he believes, will work for the development of the Jubilee Hills constituency.
Elsewhere, in the Yellareddyguda division, newly inducted Telangana minorities welfare minister Mohammed Azharuddin urged voters to support party candidate Naveen Yadav.
The former Indian cricket captain was greeted by his ardent fans amid “Jai Congress” slogans. One such was an elderly citizen, and Azharuddin warmly replied, “Please vote for Congress and support us just like you supported me.”
Jubilee Hills by poll
The Jubilee Hills by-election will be held on November 11 and the results will be declared on November 14.
It is expected to be a triangular fight between BRS, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BRS has fielded Maganti Sunitha, wife of the late Maganti Gopinath, while the Congress has nominated Naveen Yadav. The BJP has chosen Lanka Deepak Reddy, who had unsuccessfully contested the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections. Meanwhile, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has extended its support to the Congress.
It holds high stakes for the ruling Congress, which is aiming to wrest the seat from the main opposition, BRS. Having failed to secure even a single seat in the Greater Hyderabad region during the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, a victory here is crucial for the Congress to strengthen its urban foothold.
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