Hyderabad, Sep 24 BRS MLA Danam Nagender, whose petition against his disqualification by the Telangana High Court for defecting to the ruling Congress was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Thursday, expressed confidence that he would retain his seat in the byelection.
Nagender, who was elected to the assembly in the 2023 polls from the Khairatabad constituency, said he approached the apex court to exercise his option to appeal against the HC verdict though his well-wishers favoured facing the bypoll to be held following his disqualification.
Asserting that he has always been accessible to people, he said people would bless him in the bypoll as they “see him more as a family member than as an MLA”.
Asked if his party-change would not have any impact, he said people support him as he is accessible and active in public service. He also said people are happy with the Congress government as it is implementing its election promises.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is working 18 hours a day, he said.
The government has recently kicked off construction of two lakh houses for the poor under the ‘Indiramma’ housing scheme in Hyderabad, he said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Nagender’s plea challenging an order of the Telangana High Court which disqualified him following his defection to the ruling Congress, observing it was a case of ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram’.
The high court had set aside an order of the Assembly Speaker in March this year dismissing petitions seeking his disqualification.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said there was no ground to interfere with the high court’s order.
“Your case is ‘Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram, phir aaya Ram’,” Justice Bagchi remarked orally.
The phrase is used to describe politicians who frequently switch sides.
The high court had declared Nagender, disqualified from April 23, 2024, as a member of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, having contested from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency on the Congress ticket in 2024, while being an MLA of the BRS.
The court passed the order while dealing with petitions filed by BJP floor leader in the Assembly Alleti Maheshwar Reddy and P Kaushik Reddy of BRS.
(PTI News)
