Deccan News Service | Hyderabad 

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has officially named its president and former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao as the star campaigner for the high-stakes Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election, slated for November 11. The decision, announced on Tuesday, signals the party’s determination to retain one of its prestigious urban strongholds following the demise of sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath.

Though the BRS leadership has not confirmed whether KCR will actively hit the campaign trail, his inclusion in the star campaigner list has stirred speculation among political circles. Party insiders suggest that his participation, even in a limited capacity, could galvanize the cadre and consolidate sympathy votes in favour of BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha Gopinath, the widow of the late legislator.

The campaign, however, will largely be driven by working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) and senior leader T. Harish Rao, both expected to lead intensive street-to-street campaigns, padayatras, and media outreach across the constituency. The BRS’s 40-member star campaigner list, approved by the Election Commission, includes senior figures such as Md. Mahmood Ali, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, T. Padma Rao Goud, Vemula Prashanth Reddy, G. Jagadish Reddy, Sabitha Indra Reddy, V. Srinivas Goud, and Rajya Sabha MP V. Ravichandra, among others.

Party strategist Dr. Sravan Dasoju and several sitting MLAs like K.P. Vivekanand Goud, Bandaru Laxma Reddy, and Padi Kaushik Reddy will also play key roles in local mobilization efforts.

With the Congress and BJP sharpening their own campaigns, the BRS is framing the by-election as a “battle for Hyderabad’s pride,” aiming to project KCR’s leadership legacy as central to the city’s development.

Political analysts view KCR’s potential re-entry into active campaigning as a morale booster for the BRS cadre, which has faced setbacks since losing power in 2023. Whether or not KCR takes the stage, his symbolic presence is expected to energize the base—and set the tone for a fierce triangular contest in Jubilee Hills.