Hyderabad: With the Jubilee Hills bypoll imminent, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has begun aggressive preparations to retain its hold over the constituency. The seat fell vacant following the recent death of three-time MLA Maganti Gopinath due to cardiac arrest.
Jubilee Hills, formed in 2009, has 3,94,886 registered voters, including 2,07,932 men, 1,86,935 women, and 19 others. Crucially, Muslim voters account for nearly 1.23 lakh, making minority support decisive in any electoral outcome.
Gopinath had first won the seat in 2014 as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate, defeating MIM’s Naveen Yadav. He later joined BRS and retained the seat in the 2018 and 2023 polls. In the first election after its formation, the segment elected Congress’s Vishnuvardhan Reddy, son of former minister PJR.
As notification for the bypoll is expected soon, BRS is reportedly considering fielding a minority candidate to consolidate votes in basti areas such as Erragadda, Borabanda, Yousufguda, Vengal Rao Nagar, Rahmat Nagar, and Shaikpet.
A confidential internal survey spearheaded by a Warangal-based MLC has reportedly pegged the BRS vote share at 43% if elections were held today, according to party insiders. The survey, aimed at shaping the party’s candidate strategy, was backed by four ground teams gathering feedback at the constituency level.
Among the names being floated in early discussions are Maganti Sunitha—widow of late leader Gopinath, former MLA Vishnuvardhan Reddy, and seasoned BRS figure Ravula Sridhar Reddy. But sources say the leadership is seriously weighing the option of fielding a strong minority candidate, hoping that move could tilt the balance in a closely watched contest.
In this context, former minister Harish Rao reportedly held a closed-door meeting with minority leaders at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday to finalise the party’s strategy for the Jubilee Hills bypoll.
