Musheerabad Assembly constituency in Hyderabad is set to have a three-way contest in the upcoming elections. The BJP is expected to challenge the incumbent Muta Gopal, while the Congress aims to attract the youth vote. The saffron party hopes to replicate its success in the recent GHMC elections, while the Congress plans to take advantage of the changing political scenario at the national and state levels.
According to the latest draft of the voter list published by the Election Commission on August 21, there are over 2.87 lakh voters in Musheerabad constituency, with 1.39 lakh women. Muta Gopal, who initially considered fielding his son Muta Jaisimha due to health reasons, has regained his energy, especially after Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao cleared his name as a candidate. His son has also been supportive through his social and welfare activities.
In 2018, Gopal caused an upset by defeating top BJP leader and sitting MLA Dr. K Laxman with more than 50% of the votes (72,997). Laxman, who was the former BJP State president, came in third place with 30,813 votes, behind the runner-up M Anil Kumar Yadav of the Congress, who received 36,087 votes.
The decision of the BJP candidate is expected to be influenced by Laxman, who holds significant power as a former MLA and Rajya Sabha MP and serves as the national president for BJP OBC Morcha. The party is considering fielding either Vijaya Lakshmi, daughter of Haryana Governor and party veteran Bandaru Dattatreya, or G Bharat Goud, a former BJYM State president. The Congress is still deciding whether to give the ticket to former MP M Anjan Kumar or M Anil Kumar Yadav, who is currently in charge of Musheerabad constituency.
