Speaker clears two more BRS MLAs in defection cases amid Supreme Court pressure
HYDERABAD: Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar ruled that there is insufficient evidence to prove that Chevella MLA Kale Yadaiah and Banswada MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy defected to another party. Both have been recognized as BRS MLAs. The Speaker had previously issued similar rulings for five other MLAs.
The Speaker, acting as Chairman of the Tribunal under the anti-defection law, dismissed the petitions against MLAs Kale Yadaiah and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). The decision cited insufficient evidence that the MLAs had voluntarily given up their party membership, as required for disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
With this dismissal, Kale Yadaiah and Pocharam Srinivas Reddy join Dr. Tellam Venkata Rao, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, T. Prakash Goud, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and Arekapudi Gandhi, whose petitions were dismissed on 17 December 2025. In all seven cases, the Speaker has recognized the legislators as BRS members, despite reports of their political alignment with the Congress.
The defection issue began after the 2023 Assembly elections, with at least 10 BRS MLAs reportedly shifting allegiance to the Congress in 2024. The BRS leadership then filed petitions seeking their disqualification.
The Speaker’s adjudication process has faced significant judicial scrutiny. In April 2025, the Supreme Court, responding to petitions about delays, directed the Speaker to decide the cases within three months. After the deadline lapsed, the court issued a contempt notice in November 2025, demanding expedited action. The current rulings appear to result from this pressure.
While seven MLAs have been cleared, the political situation remains unresolved. Disqualification petitions against Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari, and Kalvakuntla Sanjay are still pending before the Speaker’s tribunal. The outcome for these legislators is significant, as their disqualification could affect the assembly’s balance. The Speaker has yet to issue an order on Sanjay Kumar’s disqualification. Hearings for Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari will proceed after they submit their responses to the notices, for which they have requested more time.
