Days before Jubilee Hills Assembly byelection, Azharuddin inducted in Telangana cabinet

Congress leader and former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister in the Telangana cabinet on Friday, 31 October.

In a simple function held at Raj Bhavan, Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administered the oath to the former Indian skipper in the presence of important leaders, including the chief minister M A Revanth Reddy.

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 has been 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, the Governor is yet to clear the appointment.

Azharuddin unsuccessfully contested from the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in the 2023 polls.

(With agency inputs)