Hyderabad, September 2026 : The Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday welcomed the High Court order disqualifying MLA Danam Nagender, who had switched from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the Congress, and called upon all legislators who have defected to resign and seek a fresh mandate from voters.
BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao described the High Court ruling as a significant development on legal and constitutional grounds. The order was passed on a petition filed by BJP Floor Leader in the Telangana Assembly, Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, challenging an earlier decision of Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar.
Reacting to the verdict, Ramchander Rao questioned the Congress leadership's position on the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution. In a post on X, he referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's frequent references to the Constitution and asked how the provisions of the Tenth Schedule and the Anti-Defection Law could be disregarded.
The BJP state chief also alleged that the Congress government was continuing the political practice of defections that it had criticised during the previous BRS government. He said the High Court order had significant implications for the ongoing dispute over defections in the state.
Ramchander Rao urged all MLAs who had switched parties to resign from their Assembly seats and face elections again, saying that this would allow voters to decide their political mandate.
Maheshwar Reddy also welcomed the High Court ruling, describing it as a victory for the BJP's legal efforts concerning the anti-defection issue. He alleged that the Speaker's earlier decision had protected Nagender from disqualification and said the court order had upheld the legal process.
Maheshwar Reddy further criticised the Congress for encouraging defections and said that those who had changed political affiliations should seek a fresh mandate from the electorate.
"We believe that justice has prevailed," he said, adding that if Congress leaders respected democratic and constitutional principles, Nagender and other defecting MLAs should resign and contest elections again. He also said that the BJP would file a caveat in the matter.
Nagender was among 10 BRS MLAs who switched allegiance to the Congress in 2024. Following the defections, BRS and BJP legislators filed petitions seeking the disqualification of the MLAs under the anti-defection law.
Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar had rejected the disqualification petitions, stating that the petitioners had not provided sufficient evidence to establish that the legislators had defected to the Congress.
The petitioners subsequently challenged the Speaker's decision before the Telangana High Court. On Friday, the court pronounced its order on two petitions concerning Nagender.
The ruling has added a fresh legal dimension to the dispute over defections in Telangana and could have implications for other cases involving legislators who have switched political parties. The matter may also see further proceedings depending on whether the parties concerned challenge the High Court order before the Supreme Court.
