Dasoju Sravan slams Revanth Reddy over ‘costliest’ Jubilee Hills by-election

BRS leader and MLC Dasoju Sravan dismissed the Congress victory in Jubilee Hills as a rigged triumph, accusing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of deploying State machinery, financial muscle and electoral malpractices to secure the seat. At a press conference, Sravan alleged the campaign cost over Rs 200 crore and likened the poll to irregularities in Bihar, Rayalaseema and Hyderabad’s Old City.

Hyderabad: Dismissing the Congress victory in the Jubilee Hills assembly constituency as a rigged triumph, BRS leader and MLC Dasoju Sravan on Saturday came down heavily on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for making the election an exorbitant exercise involving massive financial muscle, electoral malpractices and desperate political maneuvering rather than genuine public endorsement.

Addressing a news conference on Saturday, he said Revanth Reddy was behaving as if he had scripted a great victory, but this could not be viewed as an approval of his governance.

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He pointed out that the Congress had forfeited deposits in numerous by-elections in the past and even suffered humiliating losses in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls, where the party failed to reclaim its security deposits in several wards.

Sravan alleged that the Congress victory in Jubilee Hills came at an estimated cost of over Rs 200 crore for the campaign.

“From the CM and 15 ministers to MLAs, MLCs, MPs, grassroots workers, and even the DGP – everyone was mobilized. They stooped to character assassination against the opponent,” he said, accusing the administration of deploying State machinery to sway voters.

Sravan drew parallels between the Jubilee Hills poll and alleged irregularities in Bihar, Rayalaseema and the Old City of Hyderabad, claiming widespread rigging.

“This was a do-or-die battle for Revanth Reddy. Fearing the loss of his Chief Minister chair, he colluded with officials, the Election Commission, and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to clinch the seat,” he alleged.

He questioned why the Congress fielded Naveen Yadav instead of Mohammed Azharuddin, suggesting internal favoritism. The BRS leader highlighted inconsistencies in candidate selection, noting that while the party hyped Yadav’s win as a Statewide endorsement, it refrained from giving a ticket to the daughter of late balladeer Gaddar in the Cantonment bypoll.