Vote-Bank Battle Heats Up: Congress and BRS Woo Communities Ahead of Telangana Bypoll!

HYDERABAD: The upcoming byelection for Jubilee Hills has intensified into a high-voltage electoral battle.

Major political parties are meticulously crafting their strategies around caste and community-based vote banks. With approximately 3.9 lakh voters in the segment, the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) are treating the contest as a prestigious bellwether for their prospects in future local body and municipal elections.

An analysis of the constituency’s demographic mosaic reveals a complex electoral landscape.

The Muslim community, with a significant 1.31 lakh voters, is seen as an important bloc, with both the Congress and BRS aggressively vying for its support.

The constituency is a microcosm of the state’s diverse social fabric. Key voter groups include 38,721 Yadavs, 27,104 Kammas, 23,232 SC (Madiga), and 23,254 Mudiraj voters.

Other substantial communities are the Gouds (19,630), Christians (approx. 21,000), Reddys (15,488), Munnuru Kapus (11,616), and SC (Mala) voters (11,600). The electorate also includes smaller but significant numbers of Brahmins, ST (Lambadas), Marwaris, Padmashalis, Vysyas, and other OBC and general category voters.

In response to this demographic structure, the political parties have adopted a granular approach. They have deployed senior leaders and appointed community-specific in-charges to micro-manage outreach and secure votes for their candidates.

The ruling Congress has launched its strategy under the guidance of ministers, including Thummala Nageswar Rao, Vivek Venkataswamy, and in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar. They are being assisted by Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Yadava and former MP Mohammed Azharuddin on the ground.
BRS deploys key leaders to woo voters

Not to be outdone, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has enlisted a battery of its heavyweights, assigning responsibilities to former ministers and MLAs such as Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Mahmnood Ali, KP Vivekanand, Shambirpur Raju, Sabitha Indra Reddy, Vaddiraju Ravi Chandra, and Gangula Kamalakar.

In a significant development, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) has decided not to contest the by-poll. According to sources, the party is likely to extend its support to the Congress candidate, Naveen Yadav.

Yadav, who previously contested from the same constituency on an MIM ticket, is believed to be well-known to the voters, a factor that could further influence the delicate political equations in Jubilee Hills.