The Election Commission (EC) informed the Telangana High Court on Thursday that it would not notify the by-election to the Khairatabad Assembly constituency until the High Court adjudicates the pending election petition filed by former corporator P. Vijaya Reddy, Dailyhunt reported.
Vijaya Reddy's petition challenges the election of former MLA Danam Nagender in the 2023 elections. Senior counsel Vedula Venkataramana, representing Vijaya Reddy, submitted that the Khairatabad Assembly constituency could not be treated as a casual vacancy until the election petition was finally decided, citing Supreme Court law and Sections 84, 98(c), and 101(b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
He contended that the EC had no authority to conduct a by-election while the election petition remained pending. Concurring with Vijaya Reddy's counsel, EC standing counsel Avinash Desai informed the court that the vacancy would be notified only after the disposal of the election petition.
The election petition was filed by Vijaya Reddy in 2024, alleging that Nagender had suppressed material information relating to the assets of his wife and dependents in his Form-26 affidavit submitted during the 2023 Assembly elections.
This development adds to the political uncertainty in the Khairatabad constituency in Telangana. The by-election will not proceed until the High Court's decision, impacting local political dynamics.
