Danam Nagender, who is disqualified as Khairatabad MLA, said that he was ready to face the electorate whenever the by-election to the constituency is held, but remained tight-lipped about the party from which he would contest.

The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 24, 2026) morning dismissed Mr. Nagender’s petition challenging the Telangana High Court’s September 18 order disqualifying him as an MLA under the anti-defection law. He had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Secunderabad on a Congress ticket while continuing as the Khairatabad MLA, which the court found was overwhelming evidence for defection.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his petition challenging his disqualification, Mr. Nagender said he welcomed the judgment and respected the court’s decision. “I welcome the Supreme Court’s judgment and honour it,” he said.

With the Supreme Court quashing Mr. Nagender’s petition, the Khairatabad Assembly seat now falls vacant, and a by-election has to be held.

Asked whether he would contest the by-election, Mr. Nagender said he was ready whenever the election is held. However, he declined to disclose whether he would seek the ticket from the Congress or any other party. “I will tell you after I get the ticket,” he said while speaking to reporters in Hyderabad on Thursday (September 24, 2026).

Mr. Nagender was elected on the BRS ticket in 2023 from Khairatabad Assembly constituency in Hyderabad, but moved closer to the Congress a few months later. His long political career has been associated with the Congress where he held important portfolios under former Chief Ministers Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy, K. Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy in the combined Andhra Pradesh.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao welcomed the Telangana High Court’s verdict on Friday, disqualifying Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender as a member of Legislative Assembly under the anti-defection law. He said that the other legislators who had defected to the Congress would also face a similar fate.

In a post on social media platforms, KTR wrote, “Satyameva Jayate!! BRS MLA Danam Nagendar who defected to Congress got disqualified by the Hon’ble High Court today. The rest of the defectors will also meet the same fate soon.

BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, who filed the case against Mr Danam Nagender, said the verdict showcased how people’ aspirations cannot be let down by the MLAs elected on a party symbol. He said the Congress government should feel ashamed and this judgement was a result of the BRS party’s continuous fight against defections to the Congress party.

Mr Kaushik Reddy said the fight will continue till the other BRS MLAs, who defected to the Congress, were also disqualified from the House.