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Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin, who was recently sworn in as Minister in the Telangana Cabinet, has been allocated the Public Enterprises and Minorities Welfare portfolios, an order by Chief Secretary K Ramkrishna Rao said.
The Public Enterprises portfolio was earlier held by the Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, while the Minorities Welfare subject was held by Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar. 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. With his 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. After taking the oath, Azharuddin thanked Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, as he was felicitated by fellow ministers and leaders who congratulated him. Meanwhile, 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. 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," he told reporters. Polling for the Jubilee Hills bypoll will take place on November 11, with the results to be announced on November 14. The seat went vacant after the demise of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath. (ANI)
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