Why Did Jubilee Hills Bypolls Cause Tension for Cong's Meenakshi Natarajan?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Anjan Kumar Yadav expresses discontent over candidate selection.
- Meenakshi Natarajan attempts to mediate the situation.
- Jubilee Hills is crucial for Congress in the upcoming elections.
- The party's decision has led to internal tensions.
- Local representation versus party loyalty remains a contentious issue.
Hyderabad, Oct 10 (NationPress) Following the public dissatisfaction expressed by former MP and Congress leader Anjan Kumar Yadav regarding his exclusion as a candidate for the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypolls, the party's state in-charge, Meenakshi Natarajan, paid a visit to his residence on Friday to resolve the matter.
Accompanied by party Secretary P.C. Vishnunadh, Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, and Labour Minister G. Vivek, she engaged with the former MP from Secunderabad.
Meenakshi Natarajan's intervention came after Yadav voiced his discontent over the party's decision to nominate Naveen Yadav instead of him for the upcoming by-election scheduled for November 11 in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency.
Anjan Kumar Yadav has a history of being elected to the Lok Sabha from Secunderabad in 2004 and 2009, but faced defeats in the 2014 and 2019 elections. He also made an unsuccessful attempt to secure a seat in the Assembly from the Musheerabad constituency during the 2023 elections.
His son, Anil Kumar Yadav, was appointed as a Rajya Sabha member under the MLAs’ quota last year.
The former MP was considered a top contender for the Jubilee Hills ticket, but due to his previous electoral losses and his son's nomination, the party chose to overlook his candidacy.
Ponnam Prabhakar, the minister responsible for Hyderabad, also addressed the topic of local versus non-local representation and the party's stance on 'one ticket and one designation per family' to justify their decision.
This rationale has frustrated Anjan Kumar Yadav, who pointed out examples of other leaders like Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife, N. Padmavathi, the Komatireddy brothers, and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka along with his brother MP Mallu Ravi.
He has indicated that he will soon reveal the names of those who obstructed his ticket for the Jubilee Hills by-election.
Jubilee Hills is part of the Assembly segments within the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, and Anjan Kumar Yadav claims to have considerable support from various voter groups.
Yadav is particularly displeased that the party leadership announced the candidate without consulting him.
On October 8, the Congress party named Naveen Yadav as their candidate for the Jubilee Hills bypolls.
This decision has caused discontent among Anjan Kumar Yadav and other aspirants within the party, who are questioning the choice of Naveen Yadav, who only joined Congress in 2023.
Naveen Yadav previously ran as the candidate for All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in 2014, where he lost to Maganti Gopinath of BRS by 9,242 votes. He also ran as an independent in 2018 but finished in a distant third place.