Published Feb 04, 2026 | 1:10 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 04, 2026 | 1:10 PM
Dr Sanjay Kumar with Revanth Reddy and Pongulei Srinivas Reddy. (X)
Synopsis: Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar dismissed the disqualification petition filed against Jagtial MLA Dr M Sanjay Kumar. The Speaker ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to establish that the legislator had defected from the BRS to the ruling Congress.
In a fresh setback to the BRS, Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday, 4 February, dismissed the disqualification petition filed against Jagtial MLA Dr M Sanjay Kumar.
The Speaker ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to establish that the legislator had defected from the BRS to the ruling Congress. The order is part of a continuing series of decisions by the Speaker on petitions moved under the anti-defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The BRS had alleged that Sanjay Kumar, who won the Jagtial seat on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Assembly elections, had voluntarily given up party membership by associating himself with the Congress. The allegations included his presence at Congress events and public actions perceived as political proximity to the ruling party.
With this order, eight out of the 10 disqualification petitions filed by the BRS have now been dismissed. All eight relate to MLAs accused of switching loyalty after the December 2023 Assembly elections.
The controversy has its roots in the political churn following the 2023 Telangana polls. The Congress wrested power from the BRS, ending a decade-long rule. Soon after, allegations surfaced that several BRS MLAs had crossed over to the Congress.
The BRS cried foul and moved the Speaker, claiming these legislators had “voluntarily given up” party membership — a key trigger for disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The proceedings, however, did not move at a brisk pace. Hearings before the Speaker began only in September 2025, after prolonged delays. The slow progress drew sharp criticism and eventually pushed the BRS to approach the Supreme Court.
In late 2025, the apex court stepped in. It issued a notice to the Speaker, expressing concern over the delay in deciding the petitions. The court directed him to conclude the proceedings expeditiously and sought a status report on the pending cases.
Since then, the Speaker has taken a consistent line. In each case, he has held that the petitioners failed to produce clinching evidence. He ruled that the MLAs concerned continued to remain members of the BRS, at least in the eyes of the law, regardless of public perception or political optics.
The timeline of decisions reflects this pattern clearly.
In December 2025, the Speaker dismissed petitions against five MLAs — Tellam Venkat Rao (Bhadrachalam), Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy (Gadwal), T. Prakash Goud (Rajendranagar), Gudem Mahipal Reddy (Patancheru), and Arekapudi Gandhi (Serilingampally).
In January 2026, two more cases were cleared. The petitions against Kale Yadaiah (Chevella) and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Banswada) met the same fate.
In February 2026, the petition against Dr M Sanjay Kumar of Jagtial was dismissed, taking the total number of disposed cases to eight. In every instance, the Speaker upheld the MLAs’ membership in the BRS.
Two petitions are still pending.
One concerns Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender. The hearing in his case has been rescheduled to 18 February 2026. The other involves Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari.
The BRS, however, remains unconvinced. It has accused the Speaker of acting with political bias and has indicated that it will challenge the decisions in court. The party insists that the spirit of the anti-defection law is being undermined.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
