Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 31 : Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister in the Telangana Cabinet on Friday. Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at a ceremony held in the Raj Bhavan.
After taking the oath, Azharuddin thanked Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, as he was felicitated by fellow ministers and leaders who congratulated him.
Azharuddin's induction into the Cabinet took place ahead of the Jubilee Hills by-election.
The Assembly constituency has a high concentration of Muslim voters, and the decision of the Congress government has been seen as a move to increase the prospects of the party among the Muslim voters. There had been no Muslim Cabinet Minister in the Cabinet before Azharuddin's induction.
However, Azharuddin said that his induction into the Cabinet should not be linked to the by-election.
"I am happy. I thank my party's high command, the public and my supporters. This (becoming a minister) has nothing to do with the Jubilee by-election. These are two separate matters and should not be linked. Whatever responsibility I am given, I will work honestly for the upliftment of the oppressed people... G Kishan Reddy can say anything. I do not need a certificate of patriotism from anyone," he told reporters.
With Azharuddin's induction, the number of Ministers in the Revanth Reddy cabinet went up to 16. The total permitted strength of the Council of Ministers in Telangana is 18, including the Chief Minister.
Telangana BJP had lodged a complaint with the State Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that Azharuddin's inclusion in the cabinet amounts to a gross violation of the Model Code of Conduct and is aimed at influencing voters in the Jubilee Hills bye-election.
In a letter, BJP MLA Payal Shanker had stated that the proposal is intended to woo voters and urged the CEO to take immediate action to withdraw the announcement. Azharuddin had contested from Jubilee Hills constituency in the 2023 Assembly elections.
On Thursday, Telangana BJP President Ramchander Rao called the decision an act of "appeasement".
"While the Jubilee Hills by-election campaigns are going on, the Congress government in Telangana wants to make Mohammad Azharuddin a Minister in the state Cabinet. This is nothing but an act of appeasement and also a violation of the model code of conduct... BJP opposes this move," Rao told ANI.
Voting for the Jubilee Hills by-election is scheduled to take place on November 14, with counting of votes on November 14. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of the sitting MLA and BRS leader Maganti Gopinath.
Backward Class leader V Naveen Yadav is contesting on behalf of the Congress, while BRS has fielded Gopinath's widow, Sunitha. BJP has nominated Lankala Deepak Reddy as its candidate.