Hyderabad: BJP MP Eatala Rajender has responded to the party’s heavy defeat in the Jubilee Hills by-election, citing the delayed announcement of the party’s candidate as a major factor behind the loss. He noted that rival parties, BRS and Congress, had been preparing their ground work for six months ahead of the polls, giving them a significant advantage.
Eatala criticized the use of communal politics, stating that Hindu-Muslim division strategies would not help the BJP secure power in Telangana. He urged political leaders to refrain from religion-based politics, adding that by-elections generally favor the ruling party. He cited previous by-elections in Dubbaaka and Huzurabad, where BJP candidates had won, as exceptions to this trend.
Since Telangana’s formation, nine by-elections have been held, with the ruling party winning six of them, Etela pointed out. He also highlighted that when Revanth Reddy was PCC President, Congress secured only around 3,000 votes in the Huzurabad by-election. In the recent Jubilee Hills by-election, Congress candidate Naveen Yadav defeated BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha by a margin of nearly 25,000 votes.