Hyderabad: Former Indian cricket captain and Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin’s political stature is set to rise. Reports suggest Azharuddin may soon join the Telangana government’s cabinet. Azharuddin, a former Lok Sabha MP, is now joining the state government. This move is being considered a “political sixer” for the Congress party, especially as the state is experiencing heated discussions surrounding the upcoming by-election for the Jubilee Hills assembly seat.
It is reported that Azharuddin may be sworn in as a minister on Friday, October 31st. This decision is being considered an expansion of Telangana CM A. Revanth Reddy’s cabinet. If this happens, former cricketer Azharuddin was recently nominated as an MLC, but his nomination has not yet been approved by the Governor. Now, assuming the ministerial position will further enhance his political status, as he has previously served as a Lok Sabha MP.
This move by the Congress party is being considered a major move ahead of the by-elections for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat. By-elections are scheduled for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat on November 11th. The Muslim community constitutes 30 percent of the population in this constituency, making this move significant. The Congress party hopes that Azharuddin’s entry into the cabinet will not only increase the trust of Muslim voters in the party. CM Revanth Reddy’s cabinet currently has 15 members, but Azharuddin’s addition will increase the total number to 16.
The current Telangana cabinet has a total of 15 members, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, but it does not include a single minority. Mohammed Azharuddin is a prominent Muslim figure in the Telangana Congress. Therefore, including Azharuddin in the cabinet is considered a significant step. This could potentially woo over 100,000 Muslim voters in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency by-election on November 11th. The Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency has a total of approximately 390,000 voters, of which approximately 120,000 to 140,000 are Muslim. This represents approximately 30% of the Muslim vote. Therefore, any party that secures Muslim votes here has a significantly increased chance of victory. Therefore, the Congress has decided to appoint Azharuddin as a minister in the Telangana government. However, Azhar will have to become an MLC or MLA within six months of becoming a minister.
Azharuddin entered politics in 2009. The Congress gave him a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. He lived up to the party’s expectations and won the election. However, he subsequently lost in the 2014 and 2023 elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress gave him a ticket from the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency in Rajasthan, where he lost. Subsequently, in 2018, he was appointed the working president of the Telangana Congress State Committee. He then contested the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in Telangana, but lost to BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath by 16,337 votes. The BRS candidate received 80,549 votes, while Azharuddin received 64,212 votes. However, he will now assume a significant role in the Telangana government’s cabinet.
