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Will Cong field Danam again to come up trumps in bypoll?
In Short
There is speculation that Danam Nagender may be given an MLC slot and a new candidate may be fielded for the Khairatabad by-poll
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Danam Nagender
Hyderabad: Whether Congress’ recent years’ by-poll success will favour Danam Nagender remains a million-dollar question, particularly as he has had a bitter experience with by-elections in the past. A debate is underway in political circles after the Telangana High Court delivered its verdict disqualifying him as the Khairatabad MLA for switching his allegiance from the BRS to the Congress after winning the 2023 Assembly elections on a BRS ticket.
The Khairatabad by-election is likely to be a test not only for Danam Nagender but also for the ruling Congress party, which has won the Secunderabad Cantonment and Jubilee Hills by-elections. The Congress will be keen to retain the seat, while the outcome could also depend on the electoral strategies of the BRS and BJP. If either party decides not to contest, the dynamics of the election could change significantly, while a three-cornered contest would present a different electoral scenario.
Another possibility is that the Congress may field a candidate other than Nagender. The party could consider accommodating Nagender with an MLC position, particularly as he is also reportedly seeking a ministerial berth. Any such decision would alter the nature of the contest, making the eventual electoral equations difficult to assess at this stage. However, Danam Nagender stated that contesting elections is not new to him and made it clear that he will contest the elections and win. However, giving him the ticket will depend on the party high command.
A typical Hyderabadi-style politician, Danam Nagender has won six times as an MLA. He won three times on a Congress ticket, once on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket and twice from the BRS, including once when the party was known as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
The 2004 election remains a significant episode in Nagender’s political career. He won the Asif Nagar Assembly seat on a TDP ticket at a time when the Congress, under the leadership of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, came to power in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Nagender subsequently resigned as a TDP MLA and contested a by-election after returning to the Congress. However, he lost the by-election. This time, the High Court disqualified Nagender as an MLA over his switch from the BRS to the ruling Congress. He had won the Khairatabad seat on a BRS ticket in the 2023 Assembly elections and later joined the Congress and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Secunderabad constituency.
Nagender has made it clear that he is ready to contest the Khairatabad by-election instead of approaching the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict.
Now, the question being discussed in political circles is whether the 2004 by-election outcome will repeat itself or whether Nagender will succeed in retaining the Khairatabad seat. The by-election will also be closely watched as a test for the ruling Congress, which has won the Secunderabad Cantonment and Jubilee Hills by-elections. At the same time, the opposition BRS and BJP are keen on winning the Khairatabad seat.
Whether the Congress’ recent by-election performance will translate into support for Nagender, or whether the BRS and BJP can challenge the ruling party, will be known when the Khairatabad electorate votes in the by-election.
Danam Nagender has had a long political career spanning several parties and electoral contests in Telangana and undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Danam Nagender has had a long political career spanning the Congress, TDP and BRS. He was elected from Asifnagar in 1994, 1999 and 2004, winning the 2004 election on a TDP ticket. He later resigned and returned to the Congress but lost the ensuing by-election in 2004. After delimitation, he won Khairatabad in 2009 and served in the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Cabinet. He lost in 2014 but returned to the Assembly on a BRS ticket in 2018 and 2023. Nagender joined the Congress on March 17, 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
