The Telangana government on Tuesday, November 4, issued a government order (GO) allocating the Public Enterprises and Minority Affairs portfolios to newly-inducted Cabinet Minister Mohammed Azharuddin. These two posts were previously held by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Minister Adluri Laxman, respectively.
Azharuddin — a former cricketer who is also the working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) and a member of its Political Affairs Committee — was sworn in as a Minister on October 31. His elevation as a Minister has drawn criticism from the Opposition, particularly since it comes just days before the crucial Jubilee Hills bye-election scheduled for November 11. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of “appeasing Muslims” and has written to the State Election Commission alleging that Azharuddin’s induction was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Azharuddin had contested the elections from the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in 2023, but was defeated by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate Maganti Gopinath. Gopinath’s demise had resulted in the announcement of the bye-poll. Though the former cricketer was keen to recontest, the Congress leadership decided to field Naveen Yadav instead.
The opposition sees Azharuddin’s induction into the Cabinet as a strategic move by the Congress to consolidate support among Muslims, who constitute about 30% of the electorate in Jubilee Hills.