Jubilee Hills Bypoll Heats Up: BRS Fields Maganti Gopinath’s Wife

The battlefield for the Jubilee Hills bypoll is heating up with the BRS naming Maganti Gopinath’s wife, Maganti Sunitha, as its candidate.

The bypoll was necessitated by the sudden death of Gopinath on June 8. He had won the seat three times—first in 2014 on a TDP ticket, and later in 2018 and 2023 after joining the BRS.

At a meeting with the cadre of Erragadda division in Jubilee Hills constituency at Telangana Bhavan on Friday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao announced that Maganti Sunitha would contest the Jubilee Hills bypoll on a BRS ticket.

Urging the cadre to ensure Sunitha’s victory, KTR underscored the Congress government’s failures since coming to power.

“The Congress duped people with 420 promises. They should be taught a lesson by electing the BRS candidate in Jubilee Hills,” the former IT Minister stressed.

He further noted that despite Congress’ malicious campaign against Gopinath, he had secured a third consecutive win, reflecting people’s trust in the BRS.

KTR added that although the party lost the Assembly election, Hyderabad continued to back the BRS. “The city’s support is proof of the party’s transformational work in its development,” he remarked.

The BRS leader said Sunitha has stepped forward to contest and carry forward her late husband’s work.

The Jubilee Hills by-election is shaping up as a triangular fight. While both Congress and the BJP are yet to announce candidates, several names are in circulation.

BJP’s L Deepak Reddy, who lost from Jubilee Hills last time, former Khairatabad MLA Ramchander Reddy, and two other leaders are in the race for the ticket.

Reports suggest Congress may field former MP G Ranjith Reddy, late P Janardhan Reddy’s daughter Vijaya Reddy, or party leader Naveen Yadav.

The outcome of this high-stakes contest is expected to set the tone for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections next year.

Winning the by-election is crucial for BRS at a time when internal strife has shaken the party and Telangana’s political landscape. A victory in Jubilee Hills would reinforce the leadership capabilities of BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao and Working President KTR in facing tough challenges.