Hyderabad is once again set to witness a politically significant by-election, if Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender’s latest comments are any indication.
On Wednesday, Danam told reporters that he was not aware of which party the alleged defecting MLAs currently belonged to, but he categorically asserted that he himself was firmly with the Congress.
Further reinforcing his commitment to the Congress, Danam announced that he would work extensively for the party’s victory in the Greater Hyderabad municipal elections, in coordination with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
He said he would actively campaign across 300 wards within the Greater Hyderabad limits to ensure a strong performance for the Congress.
Danam, who won the Khairatabad Assembly seat in the 2023 elections on a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) ticket and later moved closer to the Congress, has now made a key announcement that could formally pave the way for another by-poll in the State.
The development comes close on the heels of the Jubilee Hills by-election, in which the Congress registered a crucial victory, boosting the party’s confidence in Hyderabad.
According to political sources, Danam recently met the Congress high command in New Delhi and is said to have secured important assurances regarding his future role within the party and the government.
While all the other defected MLAs replied to the notices given by assembly speaker G Prasad Kumar on their party affiliation, Danam has so far not submitted a formal reply to the notices.
In the meantime, Danam held discussions with the Congress leadership in Delhi, during which he reportedly made it clear that he was prepared to resign from his MLA post.
Sources say that during these talks, the party leadership gave him assurances of political importance and a future role, should a by-election be necessitated.
Danam is also said to have conveyed confidence in his ability to contest and win another by-election, noting that such contests are not new to him.
Speculation is now rife that the Khairatabad by-election may be held only after the completion of the Greater Hyderabad elections.
