MLA Sanjay survives disqualification bid

Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday dismissed the petition for the disqualification of BRS MLA Sanjay Kumar, who had allegedly switched loyalties to the ruling Congress party.

The Speaker, who had reserved the orders on the petition filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Jagadish Reddy last year, pronounced the same on Wednesday.

The Speaker ruled that as the petitioner failed to provide evidence that Sanjay Kumar, who represents Jagtial constituency, defected to the Congress party, the Anti-Defection Act could not be applied in the case.

With this, the Speaker has dismissed petitions for the disqualification of eight out of 10 BRS MLAs who had allegedly switched loyalties to the Congress party in 2024.

In December 2025, the Speaker dismissed the petitions for the disqualification of five MLAs -- Tellam Venkat Rao, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, T. Prakash Goud, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and Arekapudi Gandhi.

He dismissed the petitions for the disqualification of Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Kale Yadaiah on January 15.

The Speaker pronounced the orders on the petition for the disqualification of Sanjay Kumar hours before he was to begin hearing on the petition for the disqualification of another MLA, Kadiyam Srihari.

The Speaker has summoned Kadiyam Srihari, BRS MLA and petitioner K.P. Vivekanand. He will record the evidence on behalf of the petitioner.

The Speaker began hearing the disqualification petitions against MLA Danam Nagender on January 30, but had to adjourn the same to February 18 on a request by BJP floor leader A. Maheshwar Reddy, who is one of the petitioners.

Maheshwar Reddy sought more time to present his arguments in the case and requested the Speaker to schedule the hearing after the municipal elections.

The Speaker took up a hearing on Nagender’s petition following a recent directive from the Supreme Court, which gave him two weeks to decide on the petitions for the disqualification of the remaining MLAs.

While the BRS had complained that the 10 MLAs openly joined the Congress and even sat in the Treasury Benches in the Assembly, the MLAs denied that they joined the ruling party.

They contended that they only met Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to seek funds for the development of their constituencies.