For Revanth Reddy, it’s a referendum on his leadership — a win could extend his shelf life; a loss might tighten the noose
Published Nov 10, 2025 | 6:17 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 10, 2025 | 6:17 PM
From L-R: BJP candidate Lankala Deepak Reddy, Congress' Naveen Yadav, BRS' Maganti Sunitha. Credit: x.com/LDR4BJP, www.facebook.com/PingNaveenYadav, x.com/magantigopimla
Synopsis: Jubilee Hills bypoll has turned high-stakes. Congress tests Revanth Reddy’s urban grip, BRS seeks revival via KTR’s nostalgia, BJP eyes spoiler role. Triggered by MLA’s death, the three-way fight over 4 lakh voters could swing by 5,000-10,000 votes. A Congress win will bolster Revanth Reddy’s leadership, and BRS victory signals comeback for Team KCR. Meanwhile, BJP foothold reshapes Telangana’s 2028 chessboard.
As the clock ticks down to polling day on 11 November, Hyderabad’s posh Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency is bracing for what has snowballed from a routine by-election into a high-voltage, three-cornered showdown that could redraw the contours of Telangana politics.
With over four lakh voters — including a sizeable 30 percent Muslim demographic and an ever-expanding class of urban professionals — preparing to cast their ballots, the fate of candidates from the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hangs delicately in balance.
But this contest is more than a fight for one seat. It is a referendum on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s fledgling administration, the BRS’ quest for revival, and BJP’s growing ambitions in the urban heartland of Telangana.
Triggered by the untimely death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath on 8 June, 2025, what was once expected to be a sympathy-driven win for his widow, Maganti Sunitha, has now spiraled into a no-holds-barred political slugfest — thick with personal barbs, covert alliances, and strategic gambits.
Campaigning ended on 9 November, with holiday declared for government offices to boost turnout on polling day which is expected to touch about 55 percent, well above the traditional 46-47 percent.
Poll pundits predict that a Congress win may come by a whisker — perhaps 5,000 votes — while a BRS triumph could be more emphatic, swinging the pendulum by over 10,000 and flipping narratives overnight.
For Congress, Jubilee Hills is more than a constituency — it is the litmus test of Revanth Reddy’s leadership. Having stormed to power in December 2023 on promises of clean governance and welfare delivery, Reddy now presides over a wafer-thin majority in the 119-member Assembly.
A loss in Jubilee Hills here could fan whispers of dissent, embolden rivals, and reinforce the perception that he is losing touch with Hyderabad’s elite and aspirational middle class.
Revanth Reddy has barn-stormed through more than 50 campaign events — invoking both Rahul Gandhi and ally Asaduddin Owaisi to promise a “better Hyderabad to live in” while warning of a “Modi-KCR nexus.” His welfare-driven pitch — from free bus rides for women to inducting cricket icon Mohammad Azharuddin into the cabinet as a gesture to minorities — aims to deflate BRS’ decade-long urban grip.
Yet, Congress’s Achilles’ heel remains its thin record in Hyderabad. Most of Reddy’s welfare schemes have catered to rural Telangana, with little to show for the city’s urban and tech-savvy electorate. His promises to IT professionals, filmmakers, and upscale residents sound ambitious, but whether they resonate is uncertain.
Party insiders admit the fight is “too close to call,” hinging on micro-level mobilisation. A narrow win could embolden Congress’ urban push ahead of the GHMC polls; a defeat could leave Reddy skating on thin ice, risking his standing with the party high command.
For BRS, battered and bruised after being reduced to 39 seats in the 2023 Assembly and blanked in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Jubilee Hills offers a shot at redemption — a tonic for its wounded cadre. Retaining this prized urban seat, once a Maganti family bastion, would not only honor Gopinath’s legacy but also resurrect the BRS narrative of “building modern Hyderabad” — through K.T. Rama Rao’s marquee projects like the Outer Ring Road and the IT corridor.
KTR, the party’s “indefatigable” working president and master communicator, has left nothing to chance. From fiery rallies to viral digital campaigns, he has cast the bypoll as a verdict on Congress’s “betrayals.”
His sharp counter to Revanth’s minority outreach — “Muslims don’t need Congress to exist; they’ve thrived for centuries” — has energised the base, blending nostalgia for BRS’ 10-year rule with jabs at the current government’s “urban apathy” on water scarcity, traffic snarls, and civic neglect. A BRS victory would turn the tide, marking its comeback as a credible contender and setting the stage for a spirited GHMC battle.
Lurking in the shadows but far from irrelevant is the BJP. Its candidate, Lankala Deepak Reddy, backed by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, has turned the bypoll into a genuine three-way contest. The saffron party’s strategy is clear — to peel off at least 10-15 percent of disillusioned votes. But whose votes they’ll be— BRS’ or Congress’ — remains the million-dollar question.
For BJP, a strong showing could validate the “Modi wave” in Hyderabad’s urban pockets, energising its GHMC prospects and cementing its claim as the state’s alternative pole by 2028. Even a credible third-place finish would throw a spanner into the ambitions of both Congress and BRS, reinforcing BJP’s spoiler status in Telangana’s urban chessboard.
What is certain is that the outcome will transcend one constituency. For Revanth Reddy, it’s a referendum on his leadership — a win could extend his shelf life; a loss might tighten the noose. For BRS, a victory could signal the dawn of a redemption arc, while a defeat would deepen the narrative of decline. Meanwhile for BJP, the result could either reduce it to a footnote or provide the foothold it is keen on climbing the Telangana power ladder.
In this urban crucible — where civic grievances like HMDA delays blend with national political crosswinds — the winners will claim the moral mandate for Hyderabad, and the losers will face a reality check.
As parties woo voters with cash and promises, the city’s electorate finds itself courted like never before and watching the great Jubilee Hills drama unfold, popcorn in hand.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
