Congress leader and former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister in Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy’s cabinet on Friday.
In a simple function held at Raj Bhavan, Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administered the oaths to the former Indian skipper in the presence of important leaders, including the CM.
With the inclusion of Azharuddin, the total strength of the cabinet rose to 16, with room for two more. As per the Assembly strength, Telangana can have 18 ministers.
The former cricketer’s appointment to the ministry is seen as a crucial step as the Congress party has been fighting tooth and nail in the Jubilee Hills bypoll, where over a lakh Muslim voters could play a decisive role.
The bypoll is necessitated due to the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June this year, following a heart attack. Azharuddin was nominated as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota by the Telangana government in August last week. However, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma is yet to clear the appointment.
Azharuddin unsuccessfully contested from the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in the 2023 polls.
There has been a request from Telangana Congress to the senior party leadership to make Azharuddin a minister, as currently, there is no representation of minorities in the state cabinet. AICC also approved Azharuddin’s name, Congress sources had earlier said.
With the induction, the former cricketer becomes the first minister from minority communities in Revanth Reddy’s cabinet.
Another Congress leader said the AICC may have shown inclination towards Azharuddin’s induction into the Cabinet in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar, where there is a large chunk of Muslim voters.