Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Friday conducted hearings on two separate petitions seeking disqualification of Khairatabad lawmaker and former minister Danam Nagender for allegedly defecting to the Congress from Bharat Rashtra Samithi in 2024, people familiar with the matter said.
Speaker hearing arguments on disqualification of defecting BRS MLAThe petitions were filed by BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and Bharatiya Janata Party floor leader A Maheshwar Reddy, urging the Speaker to invoke the anti-defection law and disqualify Nagender from the assembly.
During the hearing, lawyers representing Nagender conducted a cross-examination of Kaushik Reddy, questioning the basis on which the disqualification petition was filed and sought clarification on the evidence supporting the defection allegations.
In response, Kaushik Reddy reportedly submitted several pieces of evidence before the Speaker. He argued that Nagender contested and won the Khairatabad Assembly seat on a BRS ticket, but contested the May 2024 general election as a Congress candidate from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat.
The BRS leader presented pictures of Danm wearing the Congress scarf, which the petitioner argued showed a formal change in party affiliation.
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Meanwhile, BJP leader Maheshwar Reddy also submitted evidence in the form of an affidavit in support of his plea for disqualification of Danam. However, due to municipal elections, he expressed his inability to attend the hearing in person. The Speaker scheduled February 18 for further hearing on the BJP’s petition.
Until recently, Danam had publicly said that he was with the Congress party and was also ready to face by-elections if necessary. However, on Wednesday, he submitted a petition to the Speaker, claiming that he is still in the BRS and has not formally resigned from the party.
