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The recent by-election for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in Hyderabad has resulted in a decisive win for the ruling Congress party, marking a crucial victory that strengthens the mandate of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. This result hands the Congress party a significant boost in the urban heartland of Telangana, a region traditionally dominated by the opposition.
The Numbers and Key Players
Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav emerged victorious, defeating his nearest competitor, Maganti Sunitha of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), by a substantial margin of 24,729 votes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Deepak Reddy Lankala, finished third.
The election campaign had transformed into a high-stakes political contest, pitting the state’s three top leaders against each other: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for the Congress, BRS working president K T Rama Rao (KTR), and Union Minister and BJP leader G Kishan Reddy. For CM Reddy, the win serves as a powerful validation of his leadership just months into his tenure, while for the BRS, led by K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the defeat underscores its ongoing challenge of retaining political momentum.
Factors Behind the Congress Triumph
Political observers and Congress party insiders point to two primary factors that swung the Jubilee Hills seat in their favor:
- Consolidation of the Minority Vote: The constituency holds a considerable Muslim electorate, with over 1.4 lakh Muslim voters out of a total of approximately 4 lakh. The Congress successfully consolidated this key demographic. This effort was reportedly aided by the support of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the strategic inclusion of former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin into the cabinet as the Minority Welfare Minister, a move aimed at bolstering the party’s Muslim support base.
- Impact of Welfare Schemes: The welfare programs initiated by the new Revanth Reddy administration resonated strongly with the electorate. Specifically cited was the fine rice scheme, which provides poor families with 6 kg of quality rice. Party leaders noted that approximately 2.4 lakh voters in the constituency are beneficiaries of such government schemes, suggesting that tangible benefits played a pivotal role in swaying urban voters.
Significance for Urban Politics
The Jubilee Hills outcome is particularly vital because it breaks the narrative that the Congress party’s victory in the 2023 Assembly elections was solely dependent on rural support.
A party source indicated that the win confirms the Congress government has successfully secured the backing of urban voters as well. This shift in urban momentum is expected to have a significant impact on future political battles, most immediately boosting the Congress party’s confidence and prospects in the forthcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections and other urban local body polls.
