The campaign for the Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election has turned increasingly bitter with leaders of the Congress, BJP, and BRS trading personal barbs and accusations of “betraying Telangana.”
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy continued his attack on Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, personally blaming him of deliberately creating roadblocks for Telangana’s development by withholding Central clearances for major projects, including the Hyderabad Metro Rail expansion. He alleged that Mr. Kishan Reddy is “saving KTR and KCR” in the E-Formula case, Kaleshwaram, and phone tapping cases as a part of the larger agreement between both the BRS and BJP.
Recalling the camaraderie once shared between late P. Janardhan Reddy and Marri Shashidhar Reddy, Mr. Revanth Reddy quipped that while they were “good brothers” who fought for Hyderabad’s growth, Mr. KTR and Mr. Kishan Reddy have turned into ‘bad brothers’, working against Telangana’s interests.
The exchanges between Mr. Revanth Reddy and K.T. Rama Rao have also grown increasingly acrimonious, with both leaders resorting to personal attacks and using language that people believe as “below the belt.”
Adding to the controversy, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay brought a communal tone to the campaign, questioning the Chief Minister’s decision to wear a skull cap, worn by Muslims, during an event. “Will Muslim leaders chant Hindu mantras or follow our customs for votes?” he asked, intensifying the BJP’s communal plank in the constituency, which has a significant Muslim voter base.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kishan Reddy targeted Congress Minister Mohd. Azharuddin, raising questions about his “credentials” and recalling the match-fixing scandal that tainted the cricketer’s past, and the Congress party’s sudden decision to appoint him as the Minister. The remarks drew criticism for being unsavoury and unnecessary during an election campaign.
The BRS too stepped up its offensive with Mr. Harish Rao and KTR making personal remarks against the Chief Minister and his brothers, terming them as ‘looters’. The CM retaliated by dragging MLC K. Kavitha, now distanced from the KCR family, and asking them to respond to her claims of ‘looting’ in the Kaleshwaram project.
BRS candidate Maganti Sunita also found herself at the receiving end of personal attacks from Congress leaders. Remarks made by some Ministers about her breaking down in public were condemned as being in poor taste, though the BRS managed to turn the incident to gain sympathetic media coverage.
As the rhetoric escalates, the campaign has also taken a communal turn with the BJP accusing the Chief Minister of appeasing minorities and asking if he is “not concerned about Hindus.” The tone of attacks has reached such levels that the BRS has sought deployment of central forces for ensuring fair polling.
Published – November 08, 2025 06:58 pm IST
