The Telangana High Court on Tuesday set aside the election of Kothagudem MLA Vanama Venkateshwar Rao and declared Jalagam Venkat Rao as elected to the Assembly from the seat. The court passed the verdict based on a petition filed by Jalagam Venkat Rao, who had contested the 2018 election against Vanama Rao.
Justice Radha Rani also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Venkateshwar Rao.
The petitioner, Venkat Rao, alleged that Venkateshwar Rao failed to provide complete property details of himself and his wife in Form 26, which is a mandatory requirement for candidates to submit to the Election Commission.
Both the leaders are from the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
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In the 2018 election, Venkat Rao contested from the Kothagudem Assembly constituency on a ticket of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). However, he lost to Venkateshwar Rao of the Congress by a margin of 4,139 votes. Venkateshwar Rao joined the TRS (now BRS) in March 2019.
In January 2019, Venkat Rao filed a petition challenging Venkateshwar Rao's victory, highlighting various issues, including the alleged failure to file a proper mandatory affidavit under Section 125A of the Representation of People's Act.
Venkat Rao accused Venkateshwar Rao of providing false information regarding immovable assets and assets of family members, as well as not disclosing pending criminal cases.
Venkat Rao's father, Jalagam Vengala Rao, served as the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1973 to 1978.
Vanama Venkateswara Rao was elected as an MLA from Kothagudem for the first time in 1989. He later represented the constituency in 1999 and 2004, besides serving as a minister in the cabinet of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2008.
In the 2018 Telangana Assembly election, he contested on the Congress party ticket and won by a margin of 4,120 votes.
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