Jubilee Hills by-election: Congress leader booked for distributing voter cards (Lead)

Hyderabad, Oct 7 (IANS) Congress leader Navin Yadav, considered the front-runner for the party ticket for the by-election to Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, has been booked by police for distributing EPIC cards among voters to apparently influence them.

The case has been registered at Madhura Nagar Police Station on a complaint by Electoral Registration Officer G. Rajinikanth Reddy.

The case has been filed under sections 170, 171 and 174 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 123 (1) and 123 (2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, relating to corrupt practices.

Navin Yadav is one of the three candidates shortlisted by the Telangana Congress, and he is likely to be declared as the candidate by the party’s central leadership.

The Election Commission of India on Monday announced that the by-election will be held on November 11.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that Yadav allegedly procured/printed and distributed EPICs to local citizens during a public event titled ‘Voter Cards Distribution Programme’ held at the Congress Office, Yousufguda Check-post.

Local enquiry indicates that the programme took place prior to the Dasara festival (i.e., before 2nd October 2025), and not immediately before the lodging of the complaint, it said.

The event was reportedly organised in the presence of political leaders, with party banners displayed, suggesting that the activity was intended to influence electors, constituting an act of bribery or undue influence under election laws, it said.

The incident was first reported in a Telugu newspaper. Subsequently, a written complaint dated October 6 was submitted by Raghunandan Rao, MP from Medak constituency.

Acting on the complaint, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) submitted a written report at 19:10 hours on October 6.

Based on this report, FIR was registered at Police Station Madhura Nagar, naming Navin Yadav as the accused.

According to preliminary findings, it is believed that the accused obtained e-EPIC copies from EPIC holders and got them printed and laminated for distribution. The EPICs distributed appear to lack the official hologram, as visible in the photographs and videos circulated in connection with the event.

The by-election is necessitated by the death of sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in June.

--IANS

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