Emboldened by a resounding victory in the Jubilee Hills assembly by-poll, the Telangana Congress is brimming with confidence, eyeing a repeat performance in potential future elections, including local body polls and any by-elections triggered by ongoing MLA defection cases. Defying pre-poll surveys that predicted a nail-biter between the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the party's candidate secured a decisive 51% vote share, quashing narratives of anti-incumbency and public ire over the delayed implementation of the 2023 election manifesto. This morale-boosting win has infused fresh vigor into the party's ranks, positioning it as a formidable force ahead of electoral challenges.

At the forefront of this upbeat sentiment is the high-stakes drama unfolding in the Khairatabad assembly segment, where senior leader Danam Nagender's political flip-flop could precipitate another by-poll. Nagender, who won the seat on a BRS ticket in 2023 before defecting to Congress, is reportedly ready to resign his MLA post preemptively. This move aims to sidestep disqualification under the anti-defection law, as the Assembly Speaker's inquiry into the defections nears completion. Congress high command views resignation as a strategic masterstroke over awaiting a potentially adverse ruling. 

Nagender's case stands apart from the seven other BRS MLAs who joined Congress post-2023 polls. While those defectors, through their legal teams, maintain they remain BRS loyalists to evade disqualification, Nagender's open embrace of his new allegiance—contesting the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket without resigning his MLA position—leaves him no such wiggle room in court. This vulnerability has heightened the urgency, especially as the Supreme Court monitors the Speaker's proceedings. The apex court had mandated a decision by October 31, prompting BRS to file a contempt petition against the Speaker for delays—a timeline now lapsed amid ongoing hearings.

Congress leadership is meticulously calibrating the resignation's timing, consulting All India Congress Committee (AICC) brass, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, and other seniors. With robust cadre support and established leaders in Khairatabad, the party anticipates an "easy win" akin to Jubilee Hills, leveraging the momentum to consolidate its urban strongholds.