All eyes on Telangana governor as ex-cricketer Azharuddin's cabinet future hangs in balance

Hyderabad: Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin's future as a minister in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's Telangana cabinet hangs in the balance, with a constitutional deadline fast approaching on April 30.

Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister on October 31, 2025, but has not been a member of either House of the state legislature.

Under constitutional provisions, a non-legislator appointed to the cabinet must secure election or nomination within six months from either of the houses, a deadline that now expires in days on April 30.

His continuation hinges on Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla approving the cabinet's recommendation to nominate him to the Legislative Council under the Governor's quota.

The matter gained fresh urgency after Revanth Reddy visited Lok Bhavan recently, with the Azharuddin nomination along with that of Prof. M. Kodandaram for another MLC seat topping his agenda. The cabinet had originally recommended both names in August 2025.

Following his induction, Azharuddin was assigned the portfolios of Minorities Welfare and Public Enterprises.The recommendation file had been with the previous governor, Jishnu Dev Varma, before he was replaced by Shiv Pratap Shukla in March 2026, leaving the matter unresolved. All attention now falls on whether Shukla will clear the file before the deadline.

Sources within the government and the Congress party said that Revanth Reddy remains confident the Governor will endorse the cabinet's recommendation, noting that a pending court case has no bearing on the nomination itself.

The Supreme Court over a petition filed by BRS leaders had previously clarified that its review proceedings would not prevent the Governor from exercising his constitutional powers on fresh nominations, subject to the final outcome of related petitions.

Should the Governor decline to act, the government is said to have contingency options in mind. One possibility is asking an incumbent MLC elected under the MLAs' quota to resign, paving the way for Azharuddin to contest that seat. Alternatively, as a last resort, Azharuddin could be asked to resign from the cabinet and be re-sworn in shortly after effectively resetting the six-month clock and buying time to resolve the matter.

Azharuddin's induction into the cabinet last October was widely seen as a strategic political move by the ruling Congress ahead of the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll on November 11. His entry drew objections from the BJP, which accused the government of violating the Model Code of Conduct.

He remains the only minority representative in the Revanth Reddy cabinet, whose strength now stands at 16 two short of the maximum permissible 18, including the Chief Minister. If Azharuddin is neither elected nor nominated by April 30, he will be constitutionally required to vacate his ministerial post.