Telangana Gazette: Danam Nagender Disqualified; Khairatabad Seat Vacant
Telangana MLA Danam Nagender is disqualified following a High Court ruling. The Khairatabad seat is now officially vacant.
In a major political development in Telangana, the state government has officially issued a gazette notification declaring the disqualification of Danam Nagender, the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the 60-Khairatabad constituency. The official notification confirms that the seat is now officially vacant.
The decision, published in The Telangana Gazette (Part-II Extraordinary, No. 858-A) by Rendla Thirupathi, Secretary to the Legislature, follows a significant legal battle that reached the highest courts in the country. The disqualification is a direct consequence of a Telangana High Court judgment delivered on September 18, 2026.
The Legal Basis for Disqualification
According to the official notification (C.No.210/Legn./2026), Nagender has been disqualified under the provisions of Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule, read in conjunction with Article 191(2) of the Constitution of India. This legal framework pertains to the rules regarding political defection and the loss of membership in a legislative house.
The gazette further specifies that the Khairatabad Assembly Constituency seat is considered vacant with effect from April 23, 2024. This ruling effectively nullifies his tenure following the specified date due to the legal breach identified by the courts.
Supreme Court Upholds the Verdict
The disqualification comes after a final legal hurdle was cleared by the Supreme Court of India. Nagender had challenged the Telangana High Court's order, but a bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana dismissed his plea. The apex court upheld the previous judgment, rejecting his attempt to overturn the decision.
The core of the legal dispute rested on a critical question: could a legislator undo the consequences of a defection by attempting to return to their original party? The Court's hearing focused on whether Nagender's move to rejoin the BRS could erase the disqualification triggered by his actions during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The Defection Controversy Explained
The controversy traces back to the aftermath of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Nagender was identified among a group of 10 BRS MLAs who were alleged to have defected to the Congress party following the BRS's electoral losses. While nine other MLAs were accused of meeting Congress leadership and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Nagender’s case was distinct and more formal.
- The Action: Nagender formally contested the Lok Sabha election from Secunderabad while running on a Congress ticket.
- The Status: At the time of contesting the Lok Sabha polls, he was still holding the Khairatabad Assembly seat, which he had won on a BRS ticket during the 2023 State Assembly elections.
- The Result: Although he lost the Lok Sabha contest, his decision to run under a different party's banner while serving as a BRS MLA formed the legal basis for his disqualification.
Nagender had argued before the Supreme Court that he never officially left the BRS and sought to rely on his subsequent return to the party to maintain his position. However, the court maintained that the act of contesting an election on a rival party's ticket constituted a violation of the Tenth Schedule, which governs the conduct of legislators regarding party membership and loyalty.