Hyderabad: In a key development in the politically sensitive party defection case involving BRS MLAs, Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar on Wednesday gave a clean chit to Jagtial MLA Sanjay.
The decision followed a petition alleging that Sanjay had defected from the BRS. After examining the case, the Speaker said there was no credible evidence to prove that the MLA had changed parties.
With this decision, the Speaker has now given clean chits to eight MLAs out of the ten facing disqualification petitions. Decisions in the cases of MLAs Danam Nagender and Kadiyam Srihari are still pending. The Speaker is scheduled to hear Kadiyam Srihari later on Wednesday.
Reacting to the decision, MLA Sanjay said he had contested and won the election as a BRS candidate. He asserted that he continued to remain with the BRS.
Party defection case: hearing on Kadiyam Srihari awaited
Sanjay said he continued to contribute ₹5,000 from his MLA salary to the BRS party fund. He added that if the BRS introduced Bills in the Assembly and issued a whip, he would support them as a party MLA.
Meanwhile, BRS MLA Vivekanand filed a disqualification petition against Kadiyam Srihari. Vivekanand alleged that Kadiyam had won as a BRS MLA and later joined the Congress.
The Speaker will hear Vivekanand’s arguments during the proceedings. He has sought disqualification of Kadiyam Srihari under anti-defection provisions.
So far, the Speaker has given clean chits to eight MLAs. They include Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkata Rao, Banswada MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Jagtial MLA Sanjay Kumar, Chevella MLA Kale Yadaiah, Gadwal MLA Bandla Krishnamohan Reddy, Rajendranagar MLA Prakash Goud, Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi.