Hyderabad: To ensure victory in the Jubilee Hills by-election, the Congress party has assigned responsibility to approximately 20 Corporation chairmen as booth-level incharges. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Vivek Venkataswamy, and Thummala Nageshwar Rao will oversee the campaign in the constituency.

The PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) has attached at least seven Corporation chairmen to each of the Ministers, who were given their responsibilities on Wednesday, during a meeting held at Thummala’s residence in Jubilee Hills. Vivek will lead a team of eight, while Ponnam and Thummala will each lead seven booth-level incharges.

Meanwhile, TPCC general secretary and Nampally incharge Feroz Khan, who is keen to contest from Jubilee Hills, has challenged the criteria announced by Hyderabad in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, that priority would be given to a “local candidate.” He emphasised that “local” should not be the sole criterion for candidacy and that the ticket should be given to a winnable candidate who can appeal to all sections of the people. “Did Rahul Gandhi own a house in Wayanad? Was Priyanka Gandhi born in Wayanad?” questioned Khan, creating a stir in party circles.

Making a strong pitch for his candidacy in the Jubilee Hills by-election, he raised strong objections to restrictions that tickets be given to “local leaders” this time. Feroz Khan stressed that even Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are not locals in Wayanad in Kerala, from where they have been elected as MPs. “I have respect towards Ponnam Prabhakar. He is not the high command to comment on the Jubilee Hills by-election candidate,” he stated, the day following the Minister’s press conference alongside cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin. The latter is speculated to be contesting once again, despite losing the Lok Sabha polls in 2023.

Feroz Khan has contested from Nampally Assembly constituency four times and lost even in the latest polls. Considered a fiery opponent to AIMIM, he lost to AIMIM candidate and former Mayor Majid Hussain by a narrow margin during the 2023 polls. He is currently lobbying to secure the Jubilee Hills ticket and remains optimistic about winning from this key constituency this time.