In a surprising turn of events, Mohammad Azharuddin, the celebrated former Indian cricketer and prominent Congress leader, is slated to become a Minister in the Telangana Cabinet this Friday, October 31, 2025.
This decision comes at a pivotal time, right in the middle of an intense campaign for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency by-election, scheduled for November 11. The constituency is known for its significant Muslim minority voter base, making Azharuddin’s induction a potentially influential factor.
Recently Nominated as MLC
Just a few months prior, in August of this year, Mr. Azharuddin was nominated to the Legislative Council as a member under the Governor’s quota. This followed a Supreme Court ruling that overturned previous nominations, leading Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to submit a revised list including Mr. Kodandaram and Mr. Azharuddin.
A Strategic Move for the Jubilee Hills By-election
The Jubilee Hills by-election has emerged as a high-stakes battle for the ruling Congress party, which is determined to secure a victory. Recognizing the substantial influence of Muslim minority votes on the outcome, the Congress has made a conscious decision to elevate Mr. Azharuddin to a ministerial position, hoping to bolster its appeal within these communities.
Addressing Minority Representation Concerns
Furthermore, this induction is perceived as an effort to appease minority communities who have expressed disappointment over their lack of representation in the current cabinet. Currently, there are no Muslim MLAs from the Congress party holding cabinet positions.
With Mr. Azharuddin joining, the total number of Ministers in Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s cabinet will reach 16. The Telangana Council of Ministers can have a maximum strength of 18 members, including the Chief Minister. Mr. Reddy assumed office on December 7, 2023, after the Congress’s victory over the Bharat Rashtra Samiti, with the initial cabinet announced on the same day.
The cabinet saw its first expansion in June, welcoming three new Ministers: G. Vivek Venkatswamy and Adluri Laxman Kumar, both Scheduled Caste legislators, and Vakati Sridhar, a Backward Caste MLA.
Mr. Azharuddin, who previously served as a Lok Sabha member for Moradabad, contested as the Congress candidate from Jubilee Hills in 2023 but was unsuccessful, losing to the BRS candidate Maganti Gopinath. The by-election was necessitated by the unfortunate passing of the BRS MLA in June.
The former India Captain began his political journey by joining the Congress and contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Moradabad in 2009. He later shifted to the Tonk Sawai Madhopur parliamentary constituency in Rajasthan, where he lost to the BJP nominee in the 2014 elections. In 2018, he was appointed working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee, eventually trying his luck again in the Jubilee Hills constituency in 2023.