According to a press note, Chandrashekar Rao decided to give an opportunity to the late Gopinath's family, according to the aspirations of the people of Jubilee Hills.
Published Sep 26, 2025 | 1:04 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2025 | 1:04 PM
Maganti Sunitha Gopinath.
Synopsis: BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao selected Maganti Sunitha Gopinath as the party’s candidate for the by-election for the Jubilee Hills constituency. BRS sources said the party selected Sunitha, wife of Maganti Gopinath, whose death necessitated the election, recognising and respecting his services to the party and the people.
BRS chief and Leader of Opposition in Telangana Assembly K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday, 26 September, selected Maganti Sunitha Gopinath as the party’s candidate for the by-election for the Jubilee Hills constituency.
The death of BRS’s Maganti Gopinath on 8 June 2025 necessitated the bypoll in Jubilee Hills. Gopinath, a three-time MLA, had held Jubilee Hills since 2014 and remained a dominant presence in the constituency. His death created a political vacuum that both Congress and BRS are keen to fill.
BRS sources said the party selected Sunitha, wife of Gopinath, recognising and respecting his services to the party and the people.
According to a press note, Chandrashekar Rao decided to give an opportunity to the late Gopinath’s family, according to the aspirations of the people of Jubilee Hills.
In July, BRS leader T Harish Rao had voiced strong criticism of the Congress government’s track record on minority welfare and urged support for the BRS in the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election.
Speaking to a gathering of community leaders and party workers, Harish Rao said, “Telangana society is looking towards Jubilee Hills. People are disappointed with the Congress government for not fulfilling the promises made during the elections.”
Meanwhile, for the Congress, the battle is largely internal. Former minister and Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender is a prime aspirant. Having defected from BRS to Congress after its 2023 Assembly win, Nagender faces a hurdle: He contested the 2024 Secunderabad Lok Sabha election and lost on a Congress ticket without resigning his BRS-won Assembly seat, exposing him to possible disqualification.
Still, as a Backward Classes (BC) leader with strong city roots, he views Jubilee Hills as his safest option and is pressing the leadership for a ticket.
G Ranjith Reddy is another contender. He lost the 2024 Chevella Lok Sabha election to BJP’s Konda Visweswar Reddy by 1.72 lakh votes. A former BRS MP who joined Congress, he had won Chevella in 2019.
Hailing from the Reddy community and financially strong, he has assured the party of self-funded campaigning. Yet his caste background may weigh against him as Congress seeks to project BC faces in Hyderabad.
Former AIMIM leader Naveen Yadav has also staked his claim. Active in Jubilee Hills for years, he has cultivated a following among BC and minority voters. In 2014, he finished second on an AIMIM ticket, and in 2018, as an independent, polled 18,000 votes.
He skipped the 2023 election, when Congress’s Mohammad Azharuddin lost to Gopinath. With the Congress nominating Azharuddin to the Legislative Council, Yadav sees his chance.
