Danam Nagender confident of winning Khairatabad bye-election after SC dismissal
Synopsis
Disqualified Telangana MLA Danam Nagender is doubling down — welcoming the Supreme Court's refusal to intervene in his anti-defection disqualification and declaring he will contest and win the Khairatabad bye-election. With Chief Minister Revanth Reddy holding the final say on the Congress ticket, and nine other BRS defectors facing parallel legal battles, the fallout from Telangana's mass defection of 2024 is far from over.
Key Takeaways
Danam Nagender welcomed the Supreme Court order on 24 September 2026 dismissing his SLP against the Telangana High Court's disqualification verdict.
The High Court, in its 18 September judgment, declared Nagender disqualified under the Tenth Schedule and the Khairatabad Assembly seat vacant.
Nagender was disqualified for contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate while serving as a BRS MLA from Khairatabad.
He expressed confidence of winning the upcoming Khairatabad bye-election, citing three previous MLA victories from the constituency.
Revanth Reddy will decide whether to field Nagender as the Congress candidate in the bye-election.
Nine of the other 10 BRS defectors face separate High Court petitions challenging the Speaker's decision to retain them.
Danam Nagender, the former Telangana minister disqualified as a member of the Legislative Assembly under the anti-defection law, on Thursday, 24 September 2026 said he welcomes the Supreme Court order dismissing his petition challenging the Telangana High Court's disqualification verdict, and expressed confidence that he will win the forthcoming bye-election from Khairatabad constituency in Hyderabad.
Background: How the Disqualification Unfolded
Nagender was elected to the Telangana Legislative Assembly in December 2023 on a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ticket from Khairatabad. He subsequently filed his nomination on 23 April 2024 as a candidate set up by the ruling Indian National Congress (Congress) for the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency, campaigning openly against the BRS candidate. He was one of 10 BRS MLAs who switched loyalties to the Congress in 2024.
In a judgment delivered on 18 September, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin of the Telangana High Court held that Nagender stood disqualified under paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule read with Article 191(2) of the Constitution. The court also declared the Khairatabad Assembly seat vacant and directed that its order be communicated to the Secretary of the Telangana Legislative Assembly and the Election Commission of India (ECI).
What the Supreme Court Ruled
Nagender had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court verdict, which had set aside Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar's earlier decision dismissing the disqualification petitions. The Supreme Court, however, found no ground to interfere with the High Court's order. Nagender told reporters he had anticipated this outcome while contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and maintained that there is nothing wrong in pursuing a legal remedy.
The disqualification petitions were originally filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Legislature Party leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, challenging the Speaker's 11 March 2026 decision to dismiss those petitions.
Nagender's Confidence and Political Calculus
The former MLA stated that he had hoped for relief under the Tenth Schedule but acknowledged the court's ruling. He asserted that Khairatabad is his stronghold and pointed to his electoral record. 'I have been elected as MLA from Khairatabad thrice. I lost one bye-election by just 1,600 votes,' he said. He added that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will take the final call on fielding him as the Congress candidate in the bye-election.
Wider Implications: The Nine Other BRS Defectors
This case is part of a broader political confrontation in Telangana. The Assembly Speaker had dismissed disqualification petitions against all 10 BRS defectors. BRS MLAs have since filed separate petitions challenging the Speaker's decisions in respect of nine of those 10 MLAs. The outcome of those cases could trigger further bye-elections and reshape the balance of power in the Telangana Assembly. This comes amid heightened scrutiny of anti-defection enforcement across Indian states following several high-profile rulings in recent years.
Point of View
Telangana is now a test case for whether the Tenth Schedule has any deterrent value left, or whether a timely bye-election followed by re-election effectively sanitises defection. Nagender's confidence is understandable; the political cost of defection in Telangana, so far, has been remarkably low.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Danam Nagender disqualified as a Telangana MLA?
Nagender was disqualified because he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate from Secunderabad while holding a BRS MLA seat from Khairatabad, which the Telangana High Court held violated paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule read with Article 191(2) of the Constitution. His disqualification took effect from 23 April 2024.
What did the Supreme Court decide in Nagender's case?
The Supreme Court dismissed Nagender's Special Leave Petition on 24 September 2026, finding no ground to interfere with the Telangana High Court's disqualification order. This means the Khairatabad Assembly seat remains vacant and a bye-election must be held.
Will Nagender contest the Khairatabad bye-election?
Nagender has expressed strong confidence that he will contest and win the bye-election, stating Khairatabad is his stronghold where he has won three times. However, the final decision on fielding him as the Congress candidate rests with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
What is the Tenth Schedule and how does it apply here?
The Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, commonly known as the anti-defection law, disqualifies a legislator who voluntarily gives up party membership or votes or abstains contrary to party direction. Nagender's act of contesting a Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket while being a BRS MLA was deemed a voluntary relinquishment of BRS membership.
What happens to the other BRS MLAs who defected to Congress?
Nine of the remaining 10 BRS MLAs who switched to Congress face separate High Court petitions challenging the Speaker's decision to dismiss their disqualification cases. Their outcomes could trigger additional bye-elections and have significant implications for the Telangana Assembly's composition.
