In Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills, A Bypoll Has Turned Into Full-Fledged War

The summer has gone by, but the political temperature in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills constituency has soared. Though it is only a bypoll whose outcome is not going to directly change the fate of the ruling party or those in the Opposition, it is playing out like a high-stakes battle as the result could have a political cascading effect. 

The election campaign has descended into a blistering war of words, featuring sharp personal attacks and accusations of secret alliances among the state's top political leaders.

Though it is essentially a fight between Naveen Yadav of the Congress and Maganti Sunita of the BRS, whose husband's death necessitated the by-election, it is being widely seen as a major test for the ruling Congress government and the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

If the Congress wins, it will be seen to have made inroads into a bastion of the BRS in the city, further bolstering its spirits and morale ahead of the GHMC and local body elections. Whereas if the Congress is unable to wrest the seat, it could begin to embolden those who want to challenge the position of Revanth Reddy, inside and outside his party.

That is why we are seeing such sharp exchanges between Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, effectively making it a proxy battle of national and state heavyweights.

Chief Minister Reddy ignited a firestorm with a controversial remark regarding the Muslim community's prosperity under Congress. His statement, suggesting that the Muslim community's existence, survival and progress were inherently linked to the Congress regime, drew immediate criticism and a fierce backlash.

Following the uproar, Chief Minister Reddy quickly issued a clarification, stating his remarks were "misinterpreted" and that BRS members had "twisted words". He asserted that his intent was to convey that the Congress party stands by and protects the minority community.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) launched a sharp counter-attack, urging the Chief Minister to abandon the "illusion that without the Congress Party, Muslims wouldn't exist". He pointed out that Muslims have been a community for centuries, predating the formation of the Congress Party, and would continue to exist even if the party were to disappear. KTR called on the Chief Minister to "stop making such irresponsible statements".

AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said: "Whether it is the Congress or the BRS, we know how to get our work done, and we will get work done by everyone, and we have been doing it. We are not among those who become a tail and run behind someone. The world sees that we are running, but the world does not see that they are coming after us, they are running behind us. This is the strength of this community (Jamaat). This is the power."

Minority leader Abdul Mukhi Chand further accused the Chief Minister of "threatening Muslims" and alleged a joint intimidation effort by Revanth Reddy and Kishan Reddy, referencing the Chief Minister's past association as an "RSS student".

The Jubilee Hills constituency has a 30 per cent minority voters and the significance of Mohd Azharuddin being inducted in the Telangana cabinet even as campaigning is underway in the constituency, is not lost on anyone.

Chief Minister Reddy said the BJP had in fact opposed the elevation of Azharuddin, a celebrity minority leader, as a minister.

Another statement by Chief Minister Reddy that created a political storm was his challenge to Union Minister Kishan Reddy, to get the CBI to file an FIR against KCR and Harish Rao in the Kaleswaram case and get them arrested before November 11. He accused the BJP and BRS of a "Fevicol bond", a sticky alliance, alleging that the BJP was sacrificing itself in order to help the BRS.

Reddy also questioned why permission to arrest KTR in the Formula E race case was being withheld, calling it evidence of a "secret deal" where the BJP is providing "indirect support" to the BRS in the bypoll. He further alleged that the BRS is planning to "merge into the BJP" in the near future, citing the claim of KTR's sister as his source.

Union Minister Reddy has largely dismissed the Chief Minister's challenges. While not directly addressing the CBI deadline, he has framed the contest as one that ultimately favours the BJP due to public dissatisfaction with both the BRS and the Congress.

Kishan Reddy has repeatedly asserted that the Jubilee Hills bypoll is a "three-cornered contest" and that the BJP has the edge. He also advised KTR to "stop daydreaming" alleging that the BRS has no future in the state.

The Chief Minister himself underlined the significance of the bypoll, declaring that the contest transcends the local candidates, Naveen Yadav (Congress) and Sunithamma (BRS), and is a battle of political titans.

"The Jubilee Hills election is not between Naveen Yadav and Sunithamma. It's a battle between PM Modi + KCR vs Revanth, Rahul, and Asaduddin. If you have the guts, come and show it, let's see. I have the courage, and I will make Naveen Yadav win,"  Chief Minister Reddy has said.

The high-decibel rhetoric signals that the Jubilee Hills by-election is not just about one assembly seat but a crucial measure of power and political momentum in the state.