The 11 November bypoll, necessitated by the death of Bharat Rashtra Samiti MLA Maganti Gopinath, has become a prestige test not just for parties but for egos.
Published Oct 11, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 11, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Two-time MP Anjan Kumar Yadav
Synopsis: Telangana Congress is facing internal unrest after announcing Naveen Yadav as its candidate for the Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election. Senior leader Anjan Kumar Yadav, miffed at the decision, has threatened to contest independently, raising fears that a split vote could benefit the ruling BRS. On Friday, senior party leaders, including AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, intervened to pacify Yadav, but tensions remain high.
The inevitable fallout of ticket announcements—dissidence—has flared up in the Telangana Congress ahead of the Jubilee Hills bypoll. Naveen Yadav, named the party’s candidate for the Assembly by-election, is now battling internal fire.
Senior leader Anjan Kumar Yadav is at the heart of the unrest. Miffed at being sidelined, the two-time MP has been simmering with anger since the announcement. A familiar face in Hyderabad’s political circles, Yadav’s public barbs—thinly veiled at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy—left little doubt about where his fury was directed.
The 11 November bypoll, necessitated by the death of Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MLA Maganti Gopinath, has become a prestige test not just for parties but for egos.
On Friday, 10 October, top Congress leaders including AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and G Vivek Venkatswamy visited Anjan’s residence in Hyderabad, trying to douse the flames.
The flashpoint came on Wednesday, when the high command announced Naveen Yadav’s candidature for a constituency within the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat, once represented by Anjan Kumar Yadav himself.
For the veteran, the snub cut deep. Twice elected to Parliament in 2004 and 2009, and later defeated in 2014 and 2019, Yadav sees the move as a betrayal.
What stung him more was learning of the selection through the media, not the party. He felt sidelined not just in the decision, but in the process, with the screening committee, led by city in-charge Ponnam Prabhakar, allegedly keeping him in the dark.
Anjan’s response was fiery and unfiltered.
“Why was I denied the Jubilee Hills ticket? If outsiders are not welcome, why was the rule different in Kamareddy Assembly (2023) or Malkajgiri Lok Sabha (2019) constituencies?” he asked, taking a thinly disguised swipe at Revanth Reddy.
“As working president, I can contest from anywhere. I’ve stood by Congress through thick and thin,” he declared.
According to Anjan, the party cited two reasons for overlooking him: his 2023 defeat in the Musheerabad Assembly election and the fact that his son Anil Kumar Yadav was recently sent to the Rajya Sabha.
“They say one from the family is enough. But look around, selective memory seems to be the new rulebook,” he shot back, speaking to reporters outside his Jubilee Hills home.
He insisted he enjoys strong grassroots support and vowed to “unmask the influential leaders” who allegedly lobbied against him.
Party insiders say the list includes those backing Naveen Yadav – a relative newcomer who joined Congress in 2023 after earlier stints with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and as an Independent.
The rumblings have set off alarm bells within the party. On Friday afternoon, Meenakshi Natarajan led a team to Anjan’s house. The closed-door discussions lasted over an hour. The tone of senior leadership was reportedly conciliatory: promises of future roles, appeals to loyalty, and repeated reminders of party unity.
Emerging from the meeting, Ponnam Prabhakar put on a brave face. “The Congress is united for victory in Jubilee Hills. Anjan Kumar Yadav is a pillar of the party. All issues will be ironed out,” he said.
Natarajan echoed the same note of harmony: “Anjan ji’s contributions are invaluable. This is a family matter, and families resolve such things internally.”
But insiders say the meeting was anything but calm. Yadav reportedly stood his ground, insisting that as “the senior-most leader in Hyderabad,” he deserved first claim to the seat.
If Anjan carries out his threat to contest independently, it could turn into a full-blown rebellion. His resentment, coupled with murmurs of “migrant versus original” Congress factions, risks alienating the Backward Class vote – a crucial bloc that Yadav has long cultivated.
Meanwhile, the BRS has fielded Sunitha Gopinath, the widow of the late MLA, determined to retain its bastion. Analysts warn that a split in Congress votes would almost certainly hand the seat to the BRS.
The Congress firefighting team may have sprayed foam on the flames, but the embers continue to smoulder. Whether Anjan Kumar Yadav stays loyal or goes rogue will decide not just the fate of Jubilee Hills, but the strength of the party’s unity in Hyderabad.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
