Hyderabad: Telangana assembly speaker G Prasad Kumar adjourned the hearing on the disqualification petitions filed against Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender to Feb 18, following the request of BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, who sought more time to present his arguments in the case.With this, the speaker will miss the Supreme Court’s two-week deadline, which ends on Saturday, to dispose of the petitions filed by both BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and BJP MLA Maheshwar Reddy together. “On the request of the BJP MLA, I adjourned the hearing to Feb 18. Both Padi Kaushik Reddy and Maheshwar Reddy’s petitions will be heard together,” the speaker told TOI on Friday.Maheshwar Reddy, who filed an affidavit with the speaker on Friday, stated that the Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) issued a notification for municipal elections to 116 municipalities and seven corporations. He said the filing of nominations was from Jan 27 to 30, and the results are on Feb 13, thereby urging the speaker to postpone the hearing until after Feb 20.“As the leader of the BJP legislature party, I am busy with the ongoing urban local bodies elections. I received notices from the speaker on Jan 28 asking me to appear for a hearing on Jan 30. I am in my assembly constituency now, and have to tour the entire state for campaigning. I may not attend the tribunal hearing until the completion of municipal chairpersons and mayors’ elections,” Maheshwar Reddy said.BRS submits affidavitsMeanwhile, the BRS’ advocates reportedly submitted their affidavits to the speaker seeking the disqualification of Nagender, stating that he switched loyalties to the Congress and even contested on a Congress ticket from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections. They also produced newspaper and video clippings as evidence.Nagender, who filed an affidavit with the speaker a couple of weeks ago, claimed that he was with the BRS and that the party came to the conclusion based on some newspaper reports. He also claimed that he had attended the Congress meeting in personal capacity, and not as an MLA. “I did not resign from the BRS, and I have no information on my suspension from the party. I attended the Congress meeting in March 2024 in my personal capacity, and the BRS thinks I defected to the Congress based on media reports,” he said.He also urged the speaker to dismiss the disqualification petition, and said developments after the petition was filed should not be considered.
