Telangana Speaker Rejects BRS’ Plea Against Jagtial MLA
Telangana Assembly Speaker Prasad Kumar rules there is no evidence of defection; hearings on petitions against Kadiyam Srihari and Danam Nagender deferred to February 19
Hyderabad: Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday dismissed the disqualification petition filed against BRS MLA from Jagtial, Dr M. Sanjay Kumar, ruling that there was no sufficient material to establish defection to the ruling Congress. The order is part of a series of rulings delivered on petitions moved by the BRS under the anti-defection law.
The BRS had alleged that Dr Sanjay Kumar, elected from Jagtial on a party ticket in the 2023 Assembly elections, had voluntarily given up his membership by associating with the Congress. The petition cited his presence at Congress programmes and certain public actions as evidence of political proximity. After examining submissions, the Speaker held that such claims lacked clinching proof and could not attract disqualification.
With this order, eight of the 10 disqualification petitions filed by the BRS have now been dismissed. All pertain to MLAs accused of switching loyalties to Congress after the December 2023 Assembly elections, which ended the BRS’s decade-long rule in the state.
Following its electoral defeat, the BRS alleged that several MLAs were induced to cross over and approached the Speaker, asserting that they had “voluntarily given up” party membership. Hearings, however, commenced only in September 2025 after prolonged delays, drawing criticism and prompting the BRS to move the Supreme Court.
In late 2025, the apex court issued a notice to the Speaker, expressing displeasure over the pendency of petitions and directing expeditious disposal. It also sought a status report by February 6. Since then, the Speaker has consistently ruled that petitioners failed to substantiate claims with credible evidence, holding that the MLAs continued to remain members of the BRS.
In December 2025, petitions against Tellam Venkat Rao, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, T. Prakash Goud, Gudem Mahipal Reddy and Arekapudi Gandhi were dismissed. In January 2026, similar orders were passed in the cases of Kale Yadaiah and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy. The dismissal of the petition against Dr Sanjay Kumar now takes the total disposed cases to eight.
Two petitions remain pending — one concerning Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender, with hearing rescheduled to February 18, and another involving Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari, whose case was heard on Wednesday but awaits decision.
The BRS has accused the Speaker of political bias and indicated it will challenge the orders in court, maintaining that the spirit of the anti-defection law is being diluted.
