Hyderabad: The ruling Congress party is gearing up for the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election, necessitated by the passing of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath. The contest is expected to witness a three-way battle between Congress, BRS, and BJP, with political analysts viewing it as a precursor to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections. Multiple aspirants are reportedly vying for the Congress ticket, highlighting the party’s focus on securing the seat.
To signal its readiness, Congress plans a grand public rally in Jubilee Hills on August 30, which will be attended by CM Revanth Reddy, PCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud, and AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan. The event, originally scheduled earlier, was postponed due to CM Revanth Reddy’s participation in Rahul Gandhi’s tour in Bihar. Party sources indicate the rally, held under the slogan “Vote Chore, Gaddi Chod,” is intended to energize supporters ahead of the by-election.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has initiated all necessary arrangements. Hyderabad District Election Officer and GHMC Commissioner R.V. Karnan has appointed several nodal officers, including Khairatabad Zonal Commissioner Anurag Jayanti, Kukatpally Zonal Commissioner Apoorva Chauhan, CTO Srinivas, L.B. Nagar Zonal Commissioner Hemant Keshav Patil, and Additional Commissioner K. Venugopal, to oversee election management, EVM and VVPAT operations, transport, training, and material management. Additional responsibilities for law and order, expenditure monitoring, media communication, cybersecurity, and webcasting have been assigned to designated officers to ensure smooth conduct of the by-election.