Congress aspirants stake claim ahead of Jubilee Hills bye-election notification

Even before the official announcement of Jubilee Hills bye-election, Congress leaders have begun announcing their candidacy. With Azharuddin in the fray, others like Faheemuddin Qureshi and Vijaya Reddy are also eyeing the ticket, leading to internal jostling in the party.

Hyderabad: Even before a formal announcement is made regarding the Jubilee Hills bye-election, Congress aspirants have begun declaring their candidature and lobbying intensively, triggering internal differences within the party.

The bye-election was necessitated following the demise of sitting BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath on June 8. While the conduct of a bye-election is inevitable, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C Sudershan Reddy said the Election Commission of India (ECI) was yet to take a final decision on the schedule for Jubilee Hills.

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He pointed out that the ECI had already issued notifications for bye-elections in three other constituencies across the country, and a notification for Jubilee Hills may take more time.

Despite the delay, Congress aspirants have intensified their efforts to secure a party ticket. Former Indian cricket captain Mohd. Azharuddin has already announced his intention to contest, stating that he had the blessings of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi, and AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan.

Azharuddin had contested from Jubilee Hills in the 2023 Assembly elections but lost to BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath by a margin of 16,337 votes.

In the same election, AIMIM fielded its candidate Md. Rashed Farazuddin. However, there is no clarity yet on whether AIMIM will contest the bye-election, particularly after aligning with the Congress.

Amid these political equations, other aspirants are also in the fray. Party sources say Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society vice-chairman Mohammad Faheemuddin Qureshi, considered close to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, may also seek the ticket.

Additionally, GHMC corporator P Vijaya Reddy, daughter of former CLP leader and Jubilee Hills MLA P Janardhan Reddy, is reportedly exploring her chances. She had contested the 2023 elections from Khairatabad on a Congress ticket, losing to Danam Nagender by 22,010 votes. Notably, Vijaya Reddy is at loggerheads with Danam Nagender, who defected from BRS to Congress after the 2023 polls.