Congress struggles to finalise Jubilee Hills bypoll candidate amid internal dissent

Hyderabad: The Congress party is facing internal friction over its choice of candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election, with multiple contenders locked in a bitter race and senior leader Feroz Khan publicly challenging the likely nomination of Mohammed Azharuddin.

The bypoll was triggered by the sudden death of three-time BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath on June 8. Gopinath had defeated Azharuddin in the 2023 assembly election by over 16,000 votes.

Hyderabad in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar indicated that the Congress would field a “local candidate,” a statement widely seen as signalling Azharuddin’s return to the contest. The remark drew sharp criticism from Feroz Khan, who is also eyeing the ticket.

Khan questioned the emphasis on local candidature. “Is a candidate eligible only if he’s from Jubilee Hills? Were Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi born in Wayanad?” he asked, accusing the minister of undermining other loyal party members.

Khan, who previously contested unsuccessfully from Nampally once on a Praja Rajyam ticket, once with Telugu Desam, and twice as a Congress candidate insisted that election success depends on campaign strength, not local origin.

He lost the 2023 race to AIMIM’s Majid Hussain by a margin of just under 3,000 votes. Now, with the Congress in power, Khan is pressing for his inclusion in the Assembly through the bypoll, even as the leadership reportedly leans toward Azharuddin.

Other names in circulation include Rohin Reddy and Vijaya Reddy, but party insiders say the contest has narrowed to Azharuddin and Feroz Khan.

Khan urged the Congress high command to reconsider Ponnam Prabhakar’s remarks and take all contenders into account before finalising the nomination.