Former Indian cricket captain and Telangana Minority Welfare Minister Mohammad Azharuddin was sworn in on Monday as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), a day after Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla approved his nomination.
Besides Azharuddin, Telangana Jana Samithi Speaker M Kodandaram also took oath as MLC under Governor’s Quota, at a ceremony held in Speaker Gutta Sukender Reddy’s chamber.
Both the MLCs were administered oaths of office and secrecy by the Speaker of the Council. The event was attended by Deputy Speaker Panda Prakash, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu and other senior Congress leaders.
Azharuddin, who was sworn in as a minister in the Revanth Reddy government on October 31, 2025, was constitutionally required to become either an MLA or MLC before April 30.
The state cabinet in August last year recommended the names of Azharuddin and Kodandaram to the governor for nomination as MLC members. However, the approval has since remained pending due to a lawsuit from the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party.
After receiving the Supreme Court’s approval recently, the Prime Minister met the Governor on April 19 and asked him to approve the pending nominations of Azharuddin and Kodandaram.
Speaking to reporters after taking oath, Azharuddin said he has confidence in Revanth Reddy’s leadership. He thanked AICC leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the Governor for the opportunity.
Noting that the Prime Minister has taken a slew of measures for the welfare of minorities, he said that he would like to work for them and with other sections of society as a minister.
