As the by-election campaign intensifies in the high-profile Jubilee Hills assembly constituency, all three major political parties; the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); are working out their strategies around caste and community equations to maximize their chances of victory.
With a total of 4,01,365 registered voters; including 2,08,561 men, 1,92,779 women, and 25 others; political analysts say the outcome will hinge heavily on the preferences of key social groups.
According to field-level data, BCs (Backward Classes) account for about 1.34 lakh voters, Muslims for 1.20 lakh, Kamma voters around 22,700, Scheduled Castes 28,350 (of whom 15,693 are Madigas and 12,657 are Malas), Reddys 17,641, Lambadis 11,364, and Christians 19,396.
Given these numbers, each party is trying to consolidate its base through leaders from respective communities.
The ruling Congress has fielded Naveen Yadav, a young leader from the influential Yadav community, confident of securing a consolidated vote from his social group.
To counter BRS efforts among Kamma voters, chief minister A Revanth Reddy and Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao (a Kamma leader) have been actively engaging with community elders.
In a recent meeting with the chief minister, representatives of Kamma associations pledged support to Congress in exchange for greater representation in nominated posts.
They also requested the installation of an NTR statue at Ameerpet Maitrivanam, to which Revanth reportedly responded positively.
The BRS has fielded Maganti Sunitha, who also belongs to the Kamma community, hoping to retain the traditional Kamma vote.
The party has deployed senior Kamma leaders like Puvvada Ajay Kumar to mobilize support through community meetings and outreach programs.
The BJP has nominated Lankela Deepak Reddy, who is banking on Reddy community support. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy is personally overseeing campaign coordination, hoping to tap into the significant Reddy voter base.
Meanwhile, the BRS is replicating its Munugode by-election model, activating legislators and caste leaders to conduct community-level dialogues.
Political observers say the final result could depend on how effectively each party translates social outreach into actual votes.
“In Jubilee Hills, the arithmetic of caste is now the chemistry of victory,” one strategist remarked.