Hyderabad: The Telangana Assembly Secretariat has formally notified the Khairatabad Assembly constituency seat as vacant following the disqualification of Danam Nagender under the anti-defection law, paving the way for a by-election.
Assembly Secretary Rendla Thirupathi issued the gazette notification pursuant to the Telangana High Court’s September 18 judgment. The notification states that Nagender stood disqualified with effect from April 23, 2024, under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule read with Article 191(2) of the Constitution.
The Telangana High Court had set aside the Assembly Speaker’s decision in the disqualification case and held that Nagender had incurred disqualification after contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Secunderabad as a Congress candidate while continuing as a BRS MLA.
Nagender subsequently challenged the High Court verdict in the Supreme Court. On September 24, the Supreme Court dismissed his plea and upheld the High Court’s decision, leaving the disqualification in force.
Background
Nagender was elected from Khairatabad on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections. He later joined the Congress in March 2024 and contested the Secunderabad Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate.
He was among several BRS MLAs who moved to the Congress after the 2023 Assembly elections. Nagender lost the Secunderabad Lok Sabha contest to BJP candidate G Kishan Reddy.
The disqualification proceedings followed petitions challenging his continuation as an MLA after switching parties. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Telangana Assembly Speaker to decide pending disqualification petitions involving alleged defections.
The High Court's September 18 ruling made Nagender the first legislator to be disqualified from the Telangana Assembly since the formation of the state. The court also declared the Khairatabad seat vacant.
Khairatabad Bypoll
The formal notification of the vacancy allows the process for a by-election to move forward. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the polling schedule.
The by-election will be required to fill the vacant Khairatabad Assembly seat. The exact polling date and election timetable will be announced separately by the Election Commission.
