The Congress party is set to capture the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat in Hyderabad from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in a significant by-election victory. After seven rounds of counting, Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav held a commanding lead of 19,797 votes over BRS rival Maganti Sunitha. This by-election was widely viewed as a crucial test of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's leadership and public confidence in the Congress government. The BRS saw it as a survival battle, while the BJP hoped to strengthen its position in Telangana. The Congress strategy focused on consolidating support across communities, particularly among the constituency's 1.4 lakh Muslim voters. Support from AIMIM and the recent induction of former cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin as Minority Welfare Minister helped solidify this backing. The victory suggests growing urban support for the Congress administration beyond its traditional rural base.
Congress Gains Momentum with Multi-Community Strategy
The Congress attributed its strong performance to a deliberate strategy of reaching out to all communities in Jubilee Hills. State party president B Mahesh Kumar Goud emphasized taking all communities along in their campaign approach. The party performed particularly well in Muslim-dominated areas such as Erragada, Vengalrao Nagar, and Rehmat Nagar. Beyond minority consolidation, Congress leaders highlighted the impact of welfare schemes introduced by the Revanth Reddy government. Notably, 2.4 lakh voters out of over four lakh total benefited from the fine rice scheme, which provides six kilograms of quality rice to poor families. Party insiders believe this Jubilee Hills victory demonstrates urban voter support for Congress, complementing their rural base from the 2023 Assembly elections, and could boost prospects in upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections.
Source: Link