It appears that by-elections for up to 10 assembly seats in Telangana are inevitable, given the Supreme Court’s recent directions regarding the defection of 10 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs to the Congress party, sources said.
On Tuesday, the State Assembly Secretary issued notices to these 10 MLAs, seeking an explanation for their switch to the Congress party. The notices were based on petitions filed by the BRS, demanding their disqualification.
Sources indicate that the issuance of these notices follows the Supreme Court’s directive on Monday. The defected MLAs have reportedly sought additional time to submit their response.
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard a petition filed by BRS legislator Padi Kaushik Reddy, who challenged the Telangana High Court’s ruling, which allowed the Speaker a "reasonable time" to decide on the disqualification petitions.
The Supreme Court has now issued notices to the Speaker, asking how much time he would require to resolve the disqualification cases. The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 10.
The BRS petition specifically targets Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Kale Yadaiah, M. Sanjay Kumar, Krishnamohan Reddy, Mahipal Reddy, Prakash Goud, and Arekapudi Gandhi, while the Special Leave Petition (SLP) is directed at Congress defectors Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari, and Tellam Venkat Rao.
In November 2024, a High Court division bench upheld the view that the Speaker’s powers to decide on disqualification petitions should not be subject to judicial interference. The court allowed the Speaker “reasonable time” to make a decision.
Kaushik Reddy challenged this verdict in the Supreme Court in January 2025. A bench led by Justices B.R. Gavai and A.G. Masih then directed the Telangana Legislative Assembly Secretary to clarify what would constitute a "reasonable period" for deciding on these cases.
The BRS, along with BJP MLA Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, has questioned the Speaker’s inaction, arguing that delays exceeding three months could encourage further defections from BRS to the ruling Congress party.
BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) took to social media, stating: "It is impossible for the Congress party to shield the defectors anymore, as the law laid down by the Constitution and prior Supreme Court judgments are explicitly clear. Let us be prepared to fight by-elections soon, my fellow @BRSparty soldiers!"
