BRS, Cong uncork plans tailored to tap JH voters

Ahead of the upcoming Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election, a significant question is preoccupying the three major political parties: will the constituency’s voters choose in favour of past development or be swayed by the sentiment factor? The campaign has intensely heated up, with leaders from all three parties hitting the roads to present their respective cases before the electorate.

The BRS campaign is being spearheaded by the party’s working president, K T Rama Rao, who is focused on two main themes. Firstly, he is aggressively targeting the Congress government, alleging that it has failed to implement its promises to the people.

Secondly, he is meticulously listing the development works achieved during the BRS’s nine-and-a-half-year tenure. He stated that the party followed tradition by giving the ticket to the family member of the deceased candidate, and promised that candidate Sunitha was not alone; he would be behind her and would personally ensure the safety of the people "even at midnight" against the "goondaism" of Congress leaders.

On the other side, all Ministers, along with the AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, are campaigning vigorously in favour of the Congress candidate, Naveen Yadav. Ministers are relentlessly campaigning, with newly inducted Minister Md Azharuddin also participating in the electioneering.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar asserted that the people of Jubilee Hills have a clear opportunity to "teach a lesson to the BRS." He alleged that the BRS and the BJP have colluded in this election. Prabhakar claimed that the Revanth Reddy-led government has accomplished numerous welfare and development works in the last two years, criticising the BRS for failing to give a single ration card during their ten-year rule.

He cited the Cantonment constituency, where he claimed voters ensured the Congress candidate’s victory and subsequently received development works worth Rs 6,000 crore in the last two years. He called upon the people to ensure Naveen Yadav’s victory, assuring them that the entire government would stand behind him to deliver development.

BRS senior leader Nagesh Mudiraj countered the Congress’s claims, arguing that people will teach the Congress government a lesson for failing to implement its promises. He noted that the Congress gained power by giving "guarantees as promises" and pledging implementation within 100 days. "It has been 700 days but there is not a single guarantee they have implemented," he claimed, expressing confidence that the "victory parade of BRS would start from Jubilee Hills."

Political analysts have opined that this election is a crucial litmus test for both major political parties. One political analyst suggested that a Congress victory would provide a significant boost to the party and Revanth Reddy in particular, while being detrimental to the BRS. Conversely, if the BRS wins, it would signify that voters prioritised the sentiment factor, setting a positive tone for coming elections by showing that the "Pink party was back in business."