The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the state assembly bypoll for the Dubbaka constituency in Telangana. BJP candidate M Raghunandan Rao won over his nearest TRS rival Solipeta Sujatha by 1,470 votes. The Election Commission is yet to declare the result.
Congress's Cheruku Srinivas Reddy ended till tally far behind at only 21,819 votes as compared to the BJP's 62,772 votes and the TRS's 61,302 votes. BJP polled just 14% in 2018 polls and finished 3rd. Today they have won a close race. Celebrations take place at the BJP office in Hyderabad as the party wins the Dubbaka constituency.
The by-election to Dubbaka assembly constituency was necessitated by the death of TRS MLA Ramalinga Reddy.
The poll had become a prestige battle for the ruling TRS as Dubbaka shares its borders with Gajwel, represented by CM KCR, Sircilla -- the constituency of CM's son and IT Minister KTR, and Siddipet, the stronghold of CM's nephew Harish Rao.