Congress fields Naveen Yadav for Jubilee Hills by-poll

Hyderabad: Seemingly brushing aside the fake voter ID card distribution controversy, Congress has fielded Naveen Yadav for the Jubilee Hills by-poll.

The announcement was made by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) late Wednesday night.

Naveen Yadav was called to Gandhi Bhawan in Nampally. He was later formally declared the official candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-poll.

Hectic backend working

Hectec parleys were held in Telangana and Delhi after the case was registered against Yadav.

Police registered the case after Naveen Yadav was caught distributing fake voter ID cards to residents. Congressmen say that it is an age-old practice, but in the age of social media, it was caught on camera and published in a Telugu daily, leading to action by the ECI.

Who is Naveen Yadav?

Naveen Yadav, 41, is an architect by profession. He started his political journey as a student leader. He was earlier with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and contested for Jubliee Hills in 2014. In 2018, he contested as an independent candidate for the same constituency.

In 2023, joined Congress and worked for Mohammed Azharuddin, who was the candidate for the Assembly elections.

In 2025, the by-election Naveen Yadav was shortlisted by the selection committee from the feedback received from the ground and the surveys carried out for the same.

Support of AIMIM

Congress sources say Naveen Yadav has the tacit backing of AIMIM. In the 2023 Assembly election, AIMIM fielded Mohammed Rashed Farazuddin from Jubliee Hills. AIMIM has not fielded any candidate for the by-election so far.

Minority votes

There are 33.2 percent minority voters in Jubilee Hills. The role of AIMIM in consolidating these votes is being seen as an important factor.

A senior Congress leader said, “Naveen Yadav was the final choice due to AIMIM support. The party would not support a minority candidate, hence those from the minority who were in the fray were pacified as there would be no support.”

But sidelining minorities by the Telangana Congress party is being seen as detrimental, as many quarters are angry about the lack of representation in the state.

With the Jubliee Hills candidate declared by the Congress party, this high-stakes seat in Hyderabad is going to define which party influences the city.