Celebrations were underway at offices of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Hyderabad on Tuesday as news started coming in of their party candidate and former minister Eatala Rajender leading in Huzurabad by-election.
According to latest updates, Rajender is ahead of his nearest contender and former party colleague from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Gellu Srinivas Yadav by over 10,000 votes. While the former minister has won 68,728 votes, Yadav has so far polled 57,458 votes.
The by-election was necessitated in Huzurabad following Rajender’s resignation in June following his removal from the state Cabinet over allegations of land-grabbing.
Rajender, who dismissed the allegations, had quit the ruling TRS and joined the BJP and is seeking re-election on a ticket from the saffron party
{{/usCountry}}Rajender, who dismissed the allegations, had quit the ruling TRS and joined the BJP and is seeking re-election on a ticket from the saffron party
{{/usCountry}}While the bypoll is a do-or-die battle for Rajender with a lot at stake, it would be significant for the BJP that has been aiming at emerging as an alternative to K Chandrashekhar Rao-led TRS in the 2023 legislative assembly election.
It is crucial for the TRS as well as it would like to demonstrate that its dominance in state politics continues unchallenged.