Congress Works Caste Matrix to Win Jubilee Hills Seat
Party fields BC leader Naveen Yadav, forms three-member team to woo key voter groups
Hyderabad: The Congress has begun working out detailed caste equations to ensure victory in the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll scheduled for November 11. By nominating V. Naveen Yadav, a Backward Classes community (BC) leader from the Yadav community, the ruling party aims to consolidate the substantial vote bank, which constitutes the largest share of the electorate. Of the 3.99 lakh voters in the constituency, 1.4 lakh belong to the BC community, while Muslims number 1.12 lakh.
The Congress leadership has appointed three ministers, Ponnam Prabhakar, Tummala Nageswara Rao and Gaddam Vivek, as incharges for the bypoll. The three-member committee has undertaken an extensive micro-level study of voter data to design a focused outreach plan.
The other minorities, including Christians, number about 22,000. The general voters comprise 66,000, with Reddys making up 13,500, Kammas 17,500, Kapus and Balijas 14,200, and other upper castes such as Velamas and Marwadis about 12,000.
Among the BCs community, Munnuru Kapus form the largest group with 22,000 voters, followed by Yadavs (15,000), Mudirajs (13,500), Padmashalis (12,000), Vadderas (15,000), Goudas (15,000), Vishwabrahmanas (13,000), Kummaris (9,600), and Rajakas and others (13,000). Scheduled Castes account for 28,000 voters, with Malas (15,000) and Madigas (13,000), while Scheduled Tribes total 12,000. Around 35,000 voters are natives of other states.
Determined to reverse its losses from the 2014, 2018, and 2023 Assembly polls, the Congress has begun mobilising caste associations to build direct engagement with various communities. Party workers have launched door-to-door campaigns and are reaching out at booth levels to highlight government welfare schemes tailored for different caste groups.
Party sources said the Congress is employing a micro-targeted strategy to appeal not only to BCs and minorities, who traditionally influence the outcome in Jubilee Hills, but also to other communities including SCs and STs. “Our campaign is focused on caste-based and community-specific outreach to secure a decisive swing in our favour,” sources added.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June. The BRS has fielded Gopinath’s wife, Maganti Sunitha, from the Kamma community for the bypoll, while the Congress is betting on Yadav’s BC credentials to shift the balance. The BJP has yet to name its candidate. Jubilee Hills, long considered a BRS stronghold since Telangana state formation, last saw a Congress victory in 2009 during the undivided Andhra Pradesh era.
The Jubilee Hills constituency has 3.99 lakh voters as per the final rolls released by the Election Commission. Compared to 3.85 lakh voters in the 2023 Assembly elections, the constituency has registered a 3.49 per cent increase. The final list includes 6,976 new voters and deletions of 663 names.
