Hyderabad: Former Team India captain Mohammed Azharuddin is poised to become a minister in the Telangana government.
According to party Congress party sources, the 62-year-old cricketer-turned-politician could be sworn in as a member of chief minister Revanth Reddy’s cabinet on Friday itself.
The move, aimed at addressing Congress’ lack of Muslim representation in the cabinet, comes at a strategic moment — just days before the Jubilee Hills by-election.
As campaign for the November 11 Jubilee Hills by-election intensifies, Azhar’s possible induction into the Telangana cabinet has, however, been strongly opposed by the BJP.
So much so that the saffron party’s Telangana unit has lodged an official complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
BJP has said Congress’ move is a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct, and has alleged that the ruling party in the state was attempting to influence voters through “unethical and manipulative tactics”.
“In the backdrop of the Jubilee Hills by-election, the BJP has strongly condemned the reports in the media that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy offered a ministerial position to former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin to attract a section of voters. Stating that such announcements are against the election conduct rules and an attempt to influence voters, the BJP has submitted an official complaint to the Election Commission. The BJP has demanded that the Congress government immediately stop these unethical actions being carried out during the election period,” BJP Telangana said in a post on X.
Interestingly, Azharuddin had contested from the Jubilee Hills constituency in the 2023 Telangana Assembly polls, but lost to Maganti Gopinath of BRS.
Gopinath’s death has necessitated by-election in the prestigious constituency in the heart of Hyderabad.
Azharuddin, a former Lok Sabha MP, is currently a working president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC). He was recently nominated to the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota, paving the way for his ministerial appointment.
Revanth, who assumed power in December 2023, has faced constant scrutiny and pressure from minority communities and Opposition parties over the absence of a Muslim minister in the cabinet.
Azharuddin’s appointment is fulfilment of a promise and a step toward pacifying the minority electorate in Hyderabad.
The party hopes to reap the rewards in the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election, and that is exactly where it is hurting the BJP.
