Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 30 : Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday exuded confidence that the Congress candidate will secure a decisive victory in the upcoming Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election, scheduled for November 11.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with his Cabinet colleague Ponnam Prabhakar, undertook a door-to-door campaign in the constituency ahead of the by-election, highlighting the party's development initiatives and welfare schemes.
"The Congress party is going to win the election by a huge majority. Not only in Jubilee Hills but across the state, people are happy with the Congress party. We have implemented the assurances given to the public. We provided ration cards to everyone in the constituency and distributed high-quality rice," Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters.
He further emphasised the party's commitment to secularism, stating, "The Congress party is a secular party that promotes harmony among all religions, castes, and ethnic groups. We don't believe in the BJP's divisive politics."
The by-election was necessitated following the death of the sitting MLA and BRS leader Maganti Gopinath.
Backward Class (BC) leader V Naveen Yadav is contesting on behalf of the Congress, while BRS has fielded Gopinath's widow, Sunitha. BJP has nominated Lankala Deepak Reddy as its candidate.
Polling for the constituency is scheduled for November 11, with counting of votes on November 14.
Meanwhile, Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao has slammed the Congress government in the State for its decision to induct former Indian Cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin into the Cabinet as a Minister just before the Jubilee Hills by-election, terming it as an act of appeasement and also a violation of the moral code of conduct Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
"While the Jubilee Hills by-election campaigns are going on, the Congress government in Telangana wants to make Mohammad Azharuddin a Minister in the state Cabinet. This is nothing but an act of appeasement and also a violation of the model code of conduct... BJP opposes this move," Ramchander Rao told ANI.
The Assembly constituency has a high concentration of Muslim voters, and the decision of the Congress government has been seen as a move to increase the prospects of the party among the Muslim voters. The Congress has no Muslim MLA in the current State Assembly, and there is no Muslim Cabinet Minister in the Cabinet.