The by-election, necessitated by Maganti Gopinath’s death in June 2025, was widely viewed as a litmus test for Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s administration,
Published Nov 14, 2025 | 12:26 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 14, 2025 | 12:26 PM
Naveen Yadav during poll campaigning.
Synopsis: Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav clinched the Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election. The BRS was defending a traditional stronghold; its candidate was Maganti Sunitha, the widow of three-time MLA Maganti Gopinath, but failed. The triangular contest also clipped the wings of the BJP.
In a stunning upset, Congress candidate V Naveen Yadav clinched the Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election, flipping the script on the BRS and upending long-held assumptions about its invincibility in the constituency.
At the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium in Yousufguda, the drama unfolded round by round. By the end of the 10th and final round of counting, Yadav not only held his early edge but widened it significantly—leaping from a razor-thin 47-vote lead in the first round to a commanding margin, turning pre-poll predictions on their head.
Even though exit polls had hinted at an overnight shift in Jubilee Hills’ mood toward the Congress, doubts lingered. The BRS was defending a traditional stronghold; its candidate was Maganti Sunitha, the widow of three-time MLA Maganti Gopinath.
Apart from this, an anti-incumbency wave against the Revanth Reddy government was expected to clip Congress’s wings. Yet, when the dust settled, Congress’s superior poll management proved to be the ace up its sleeve.
The by-election, necessitated by Gopinath’s death in June 2025, was widely viewed as a litmus test for Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s administration, now midway through its term.
The turnout of 48.49 percent (1,94,631 votes out of 4,01,365 electors), slightly higher than the 47.58 percent recorded in the 2023 Assembly polls, delivered the Congress its second major urban breakthrough after sweeping Telangana in 2023—a city where it previously failed to win a single seat. Its first urban success came in the Cantonment by-election last year after the death of another BRS MLA.
For Jubilee Hills, the BRS had pinned its hopes on sympathy and its decade-long organisational muscle. Gopinath had won the seat three times since 2014, and Sunitha’s candidature was expected to ride on the goodwill he left behind.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s nominee Lankala Deepak Reddy remained a distant spectator, stuck firmly in third place — an echo of the saffron party’s chronic struggles in Hyderabad, where it last won a single seat in 2023 (Goshamahal).
Early pre-poll surveys painted a rosy picture for BRS. They gave the pink party a clear edge — citing sympathy for Sunitha and the late MLA’s personal rapport. Some projections even spoke of a “narrow but comfortable” retention.
This was attributed to BRS’s entrenched urban network and Jubilee Hills’ mixed demographics—affluent neighbourhoods coexisting with slums and minority pockets— historically favourable to the party.
But as polling day drew closer, the winds began to shift. Exit polls flipped the narrative, placing Congress in pole position and pushing the BJP far into the rearview mirror. The late-breaking momentum translated into votes, exposing chinks in BRS’s armour.
A major reason was complacency within BRS. Flush with early favourable surveys and banking heavily on the sympathy card, the party reportedly took its foot off the pedal. Despite the high-octane rallies by KT Rama Rao and other top leaders, booth-level mobilisation was patchy.
Key divisions like Shaikpet, Borabanda and Yousufguda — home to significant Backward Class (BC), slum, and Muslim populations — witnessed slack door-to-door campaigning and lethargic outreach. Many cadres seemed to assume Sunitha’s victory was a done deal.
Congress, meanwhile, went the whole hog. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with almost the entire cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, virtually camped in the constituency. The party unleashed an all-out booth-level operation — voter slip distribution, micro-monitoring, last-mile transport — classic “nuts-and-bolts” electioneering that often proves decisive in low-turnout urban battles.
Though the BRS accused Congress of cash-for-votes tactics, it was clear that Congress’s organisational machinery ran like a well-oiled engine.
A pivotal factor was the consolidation of Muslim votes — nearly 1.3 lakh strong, about 30 percent of the electorate. Historically, Muslims in Hyderabad aligned with the AIMIM or its tacit allies.
In 2023, despite fielding Mohammed Azharuddin, the Congress managed just 35 percent to the BRS’s 44 percent, with AIMIM extending covert support to the BRS then.
This time, the tables turned dramatically. AIMIM openly backed Naveen Yadav — a BC face with a past in AIMIM, leading many to joke he looked like an “AIMIM candidate in Congress clothes”.
AIMIM cadres worked overtime in strongholds such as Rahmat Nagar and the Tolichowki clusters. Adding fuel to the fire, the induction of Azharuddin into the Revanth cabinet days before polling was a masterstroke — soothing minority grievances and sharpening the Congress pitch.
Political watchers said Muslims, disenchanted with BRS’s decade-long rule, especially its perceived neglect of civic and minority issues like graveyards and welfare delivery, shifted almost en masse to Congress.
Their support, combined with BC consolidation around Yadav, effectively neutralised BRS’s traditional upper-caste backing in the upscale enclaves of the constituency.
At ground level, voters voiced frustration over stagnant development—potholed roads, water shortages in bastis, and unkept promises from Gopinath’s tenure. Sympathy for Sunitha fizzled out amid murmurs of “dynastic entitlement.”
Revanth Reddy’s campaign hammered home the state government’s welfare schemes, such as free bus travel for women, while promising targeted upgrades for Jubilee Hills’ civic infrastructure.
The triangular contest also clipped the wings of the BJP. The saffron party neither leveraged national issues nor invoked a strong Hindutva narrative. Its lacklustre campaign, thin organisational presence, and loss of steam after earlier defeats meant it was never really in the race.
The party’s inability to punch its weight has dealt a blow to its claim of emerging as the alternative to Congress in Telangana.
Another subplot that stirred controversy was the debate over Sunitha’s marital status — something the BRS alleged was part of a smear campaign orchestrated by the Congress. It may be true, but the episode appeared to sap her momentum, taking some of the sting out of her campaign.
For the BRS, already reeling from its 2023 drubbing that brought its tally down to 39 seats, and total washout in Lok Sabha polls six months later, this defeat is another body blow — raising questions over KT Rama Rao’s leadership ahead of the crucial GHMC elections. It’s campaign that Naveen Yadav was a “rowdy” apparently did not cut any ice with the electorate.
The BJP’s distant third-place finish, deploying a candidate who had also lost in 2023, underscored its failure to read the room. Its muted campaign made the Congress’s task easier, especially as the BRS brimmed with overconfidence. The saffron party neither struck a chord on national themes nor on local grievances, ending up losing the plot completely.
For Telangana politics, the Jubilee Hills verdict signals a potential shift in the urban landscape — one that may strengthen the Congress’s hand as it eyes the 2028 Assembly elections. For the BRS, the climb back looks steeper than ever.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
