Hyderabad, Sep 24 (IANS) Danam Nagender said on Thursday that he welcomes the Supreme Court order dismissing his petition challenging the Telangana High Court’s order disqualifying him as a member of the Legislative Assembly under the anti-defection law and exuded confidence that he will win the bye-election.
He told media persons that he had anticipated this while contesting as the Congress candidate from Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 elections.
Nagender, who was elected to the Assembly on a BRS ticket from Khairatabad constituency in Hyderabad in 2023 but later switched loyalties to the ruling Congress party, said that there is nothing wrong in waging a legal battle.
The former MLA said he had hoped relief under the 10th Schedule. He stated that the Supreme Court has ruled that he may contest the election again.
Claiming that he enjoys support of the people and that Khairatabad is his stronghold, Nagender exuded confidence that he will win the bye-election.
The former minister said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will take a decision on fielding him in the bye-election.
“I have been elected as MLA from Khairatabad thrice. I lost one bye-election by just 1,600 votes,” he said.
Nagender had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court verdict, which set aside the order passed by Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar dismissing petitions seeking his disqualification and declared him disqualified as an MLA with effect from April 23, 2024.
The Supreme Court, however, found no ground to interfere with the High Court’s order.
In a judgment delivered on September 18, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin held that Nagender stood disqualified under paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule read with Article 191(2) of the Constitution, after he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Secunderabad constituency as a candidate set up by the Congress despite being elected as a BRS MLA.
The High Court also declared the Khairatabad Assembly seat vacant and directed that a copy of its order be communicated to the Secretary to the Telangana Legislative Assembly and the Election Commission of India.
The judgment came on petitions filed by BJP Legislature Party leader, Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, and BRS MLA, Padi Kaushik Reddy, challenging the Speaker’s March 11, 2026 decision dismissing the disqualification petitions.
The High Court decision recorded that Nagender was elected as a BRS MLA from Khairatabad in December 2023 and subsequently filed his nomination on April 23, 2024 as a Congress candidate for the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, where he campaigned against the BRS candidate.
Nagender was one of the 10 BRS MLAs who switched loyalties to the ruling Congress party in 2024.
The Speaker, however, dismissed petitions of BRS for disqualification of all 10 MLAs. BRS MLAs have filed separate petitions, challenging the Speaker’s decision in respect of nine out of 10 MLAs.
–IANS
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