Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Nov 10: Former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin officially assumed charge on Monday as Telangana’s Minister for Minorities Welfare and Public Enterprises, marking his formal entry into the state cabinet at the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Secretariat.
Azharuddin, who was sworn in on October 31, was greeted by deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, state Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud, ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Vakati Srihari, and Ponnam Prabhakar, along with government advisor Mohammed Ali Shabbir and several senior leaders.
Speaking to the media after taking charge, Azharuddin reflected on his journey from cricket to politics. “During my playing days, I never imagined I would become a minister. I thought I would be a cricket coach, but life took a different turn,” he said. Expressing gratitude to the Congress leadership and chief minister A. Revanth Reddy for their trust, he added, “By the grace of Almighty Allah and the blessings of my family, I have reached this position. I will serve with sincerity and work to address all pending issues concerning minorities’ welfare.”
The 62-year-old Congress leader also recalled his political beginnings, noting that he was asked to contest the Moradabad Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh just three months after joining politics. “I can never forget the affection I received from the people of Moradabad,” he said, adding that even in his 2014 contest from Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, though he did not win, he was heartened by the public’s support.
Azharuddin, the first Muslim minister in chief minister Revanth Reddy’s cabinet, was nominated to the Telangana Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota earlier this year. His induction into the cabinet comes ahead of the November 11 by-election for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency.
After losing from his home constituency in the 2023 Assembly elections, Azharuddin had expressed interest in contesting again, but the Congress leadership instead fielded Naveen Yadav and assured Azharuddin a cabinet position.
Currently serving as the working president of the Telangana Congress and a member of its political affairs committee, Azharuddin’s elevation is seen as part of the party’s broader strategy to strengthen its outreach among minority communities in the state.