Telangana Speaker Gives Clean Chit to 10 BRS MLAs, Dismisses Defection Petitions

The long-running controversy over the alleged defection of several legislators in Telangana has finally come to an end after Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar dismissed the remaining disqualification petitions against Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender and Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari . The petitions, filed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) , alleged that the legislators had shifted their allegiance to the ruling Indian National Congress after the 2023 Assembly elections . However, the Speaker ruled that there was no concrete evidence proving that the MLAs had formally given up their party membership, a key condition required for action under the Anti-Defection Law . With this decision, the dispute involving 10 BRS MLAs has effectively been closed, as similar petitions against eight other legislators had already been rejected earlier.

The ruling triggered sharp political reactions, particularly from the opposition BRS , whose working president K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) criticised the decision, calling it an attack on democracy and the people’s mandate . He pointed out that Danam Nagender had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate and questioned how such a situation did not amount to defection. Leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also criticised the verdict, with state president N. Ramchander Rao alleging that the decision undermined constitutional values and disrespected the ideals of Dr B. R. Ambedkar , the architect of India’s Constitution.

Responding to the criticism, Danam Nagender defended his actions, stating that contesting elections is a fundamental right of any citizen and that he had neither resigned from the BRS nor formally joined the Congress . He maintained that his conduct in the Assembly had never gone against his party. Kadiyam Srihari also rejected the allegations, arguing that the petitions lacked legal standing because they were filed by individual legislators rather than the party organisation itself. He further noted that political defections had occurred even during the tenure of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao , suggesting that such practices were not new in Telangana politics.

The case also brought renewed focus on the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution , which governs defections and empowers the Speaker to decide on disqualification petitions. Ultimately, the Speaker’s decision cleared all ten MLAs accused in the case including Kale Yadaiah, Prakash Goud, Arikepudi Gandhi, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, Tellam Venkata Rao, Dr Sanjay Kumar, Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari bringing an end to months of legal and political debate surrounding the issue.