The Telangana High Court on Friday disqualified Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender under the anti-defection law, overturning an earlier decision by Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar that had rejected petitions against him.
- Nagender won the Khairatabad Assembly seat in 2023 as a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate.
- He later contested the 2024 Secunderabad Lok Sabha election on a Congress ticket while continuing as an MLA.
- The High Court has set aside the Speaker’s decision to dismiss the disqualification petitions.
Why was Nagender’s membership challenged?
The dispute centres on Nagender’s decision to contest a parliamentary election for the Congress after winning his Assembly seat on a BRS ticket. BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy challenged his continued membership under the Constitution’s anti-defection provisions.
The Assembly Speaker had dismissed the disqualification petitions in March 2026. The petitioners then approached the High Court, arguing that Nagender’s conduct showed he had given up membership of the party on whose ticket he was elected.
What does the anti-defection law say?
The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the disqualification of a legislator who voluntarily gives up membership of the political party that elected them. A formal resignation is not the only conduct that can be examined in such a case; the surrounding actions and evidence also matter.
What happens next?
The ruling has direct consequences for representation of the Khairatabad constituency. Any further legal challenge, formal notification of a vacancy and decision on a by-election will need to be followed separately. As of this report, those steps have not been confirmed.
Editorial note: Early reports differ on the date from which the disqualification takes effect. This article will be updated once the written judgment confirms that detail.
