Telangana: 58 candidates get election symbols for Jubilee Hills bypoll

A record 58 candidates are contesting the Jubilee Hills Assembly bye-election, prompting four ballot units per booth. Independents chose quirky symbols like baby walker and CCTV camera. The key battle features Congress, BRS and BJP after BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath’s death necessitated the poll

Hyderabad: From fruits to kitchen utensils and from household items to electrical and electronic goods, the candidates in the Jubilee Hills Assembly bye-election have chosen a variety of election symbols, both mundane and unusual.

There are 58 candidates in the fray for the November 11 bye-election to the Assembly constituency in Hyderabad. The Election Commission on Sunday issued the list of contesting candidates and election symbols allotted to them.

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Candidates of smaller parties and independents have opted for unusual symbols like soap dish, baby walker, dumbbells, dish antenna, room cooler, CCTV camera, basket containing fruits, bangles and frock.

In addition to the candidates of three recognised national and state political parties, 26 contestants from small political parties and 29 independents are in the fray. This is the highest number of candidates in the history of the Jubilee Hills constituency, which was created in 2009 during the limitation of Assembly segments.

The number of contestants would have been much higher if the nominations of 130 candidates had not been rejected. Another 23 candidates withdrew their nominations.

A large number of candidates entered the fray to highlight their grievances over various issues. They included people allegedly affected by the demolition of houses by Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), realignment of the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR), farmers and unemployed youth.

As per the final electoral rolls released two days ago, the constituency has a total of 4,01,365 voters. They include 2,08,561 men, 1,92,779 women. Around 2,383 new voters were enrolled after the election notification was issued.

Since 58 candidates are in fray, four ballot units will be used in each of the polling booths, requiring a large voting compartment.

District Election Officer RV Karnan has announced that all arrangements have been completed for 407 polling stations. The bye-election is likely to see a triangular fight among the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party.

BRS leader Maganti Gopinath, who had won the Jubilee Hills seat for the third consecutive term in 2023, died in June, necessitating the bye-election. The BRS has fielded his wife, Maganti Sunitha.

The Congress party has given a ticket to Naveen Yadav, while the BJP has once again fielded Lankala Deepak Reddy. In the 2023 elections, Gopinath defeated former Indian cricket captain and Congress candidate Mohammed Azharuddin by 16,337 votes to win.

In a multi-cornered contest, Gopinath had secured 80,549 votes while Azharuddin had polled 64,212 votes. Deepak Reddy of the BJP was in third position with 25,866 votes.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), whose candidate finished fourth in the 2023 elections, is not contesting this time. The party led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has declared support for the Congress candidate.