Jubilee Hills bypoll: Naveen Yadav’s selection sparks unrest in Congress

The Congress’s choice of Naveen Yadav as its Jubilee Hills bypoll candidate has triggered dissent among senior leaders, especially Anjan Kumar Yadav. Party insiders say the decision overlooks seniority, deepening factional tensions within the Telangana Congress unit.

Hyderabad: The Congress high command’s decision to field Naveen Yadav as its candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election has further deepened rifts among several leaders, raising concerns about its possible impact on the party’s prospects.

Former MP Anjan Kumar Yadav, former Minister KLN Yadav’s daughter-in-law K Vijayalaxmi, and former Mayor Bonthu Rammohan were among the contenders. The TPCC had recommended all four names to the AICC, which eventually cleared Naveen Yadav’s candidature.

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However, the decision has reportedly left a few senior leaders, particularly Anjan Kumar Yadav, disappointed. Even before the official notification was issued, he had been actively holding programmes across various colonies in the constituency.

Anjan Kumar has also been outspoken against certain statements made by party leaders. When BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar raised contentious issues such as local versus non-local representation and the principle of ‘one ticket and one designation per family’, the former MP reacted sharply.

Citing examples of Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife N Padmavathi, Komatireddy brothers, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and his brother MP Mallu Ravi, among others, Anjan Kumar had questioned the selective implementation of the rule.

Known for his strong base in Jubilee Hills and his support across multiple communities, Anjan Kumar’s response to the latest development could prove crucial. “Anjan Kumar is definitely upset and generally maintains good relations with all leaders. But in this case, his seniority was overlooked. Much will depend on his active participation in party programmes in the constituency,” said a senior leader from Gandhi Bhavan.

Meanwhile, a few leaders have questioned the rationale behind Naveen Yadav’s selection. Unlike Anjan Kumar, a loyal Congress leader since the start of his political career, Naveen Yadav is a relatively new entrant, having joined the Congress from AIMIM in November 2023 in the presence of then TPCC president Revanth Reddy.

Before switching sides, Naveen Yadav had contested unsuccessfully from the Yousufguda division (2009) and Rahmath Nagar division (2015) in the GHMC elections, and again from Jubilee Hills constituency in the 2014 Assembly elections, all on AIMIM tickets. Save for the 2018 Assembly polls, he contested every election representing AIMIM but faced defeat each time.