Jubilee Hills bypoll: Congress aspirants start fighting over ticket

Even before the Election Commission announces the Jubilee Hills bye-election, internal competition within the Congress party has intensified, with multiple aspirants including Mohammad Azharuddin, Feroz Khan, and Revanth Reddy's aides vying for the ticket.

Hyderabad: Even as the Election Commission is yet to make any announcement regarding the Jubilee Hills constituency bye-elections, ticket aspirants within the Congress are already at loggerheads over who will get the ticket.

There is also a tiff between local and non-local leaders from the constituency. While probables like former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin, Naveen Yadav and others are already emphasising their candidature, citing local identity, those from other constituencies are keen to contest the bye-elections.

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Azharuddin’s supporters have already set up huge banners and flexies near his residence and other areas in Banjara Hills.

Earlier this week, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar had stressed that local leaders would be accorded top priority in finalising candidates for the elections. However, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s close aides, Rohin Reddy and Faheem Qureshi, are also evincing interest in contesting the elections, though they are considered non-locals in the constituency.

Feroz Khan, who had represented the Congress from Nampally constituency in the 2023 elections, is also seriously pitching his candidature.

Meanwhile, a few hopeful candidates in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are also vying to contest the bypoll. Names of Lankala Deepak Reddy, Madhavi Latha and a few others are doing the rounds among the probables in the party office.

Both the national parties are very eager to contest the by-election, setting aside the general practice of not fielding candidates in case of the sudden death of a sitting MLA. It has been a tradition that family members of the deceased MLA are fielded from the respective party.

When BRS MLA from Secunderabad Cantonment, Lasya Nanditha died in an accident, the party fielded her sister Niveditha. But the Congress disregarded political convention and fielded Sri Ganesh in the bye-election, going against the regular practice.

In the case of Jubilee Hills bypoll too, both the national parties are obviously going to set aside any such considerations and field their candidates.