Congress leader and former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin took oath as minister. Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administered him the oath. The Congress government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had proposed to include Mohammad Azharuddin in the cabinet. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had expressed strong objection to this. BJP linked the decision to Jubilee Hills Bypoll and called it a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

BJP’s Election Commission Affairs Committee Chairman Marri Sashidhar Reddy met Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy. He had demanded to stop the swearing-in ceremony. BJP says that Azharuddin becoming a minister is an attempt to influence voters before the Jubilee Hills by-election. Marri Shashidhar Reddy said that Azharuddin is a voter of Jubilee Hills and was also a Congress candidate in 2023. In such a situation, this step is an attempt to sway the voters in favor of a particular class. This step of BJP is completely against the election code of conduct.

#WATCH Hyderabad, Telangana: Congress leader and former Cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin takes oath as Minister at Raj Bhavan. Governor Jishnu Dev Verma administers the oath to him.

(Video Source: I&PR Telangana) pic.twitter.com/oGRIydcCVe

— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2025

BJP cannot tolerate the success of minority leader

Congress gave a sharp reply to BJP’s allegations calling it communal politics. State Congress spokesperson and MP Chamla Kiran Kumar Reddy said that BJP cannot see a prominent minority leader coming into the cabinet. She is inciting communal sentiments in Jubilee Hills. Congress also accused BJP of making a secret agreement with Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) to prevent Congress from strengthening its secular image.

On the matter, Congress spokesperson Addanki Dayakar said that Azharuddin is the pride of the country. He made India proud on the cricket field. Making communal comments on him is extremely unfortunate. He reminded BJP that BJP itself had expanded the cabinet 20 days before the by-elections in Rajasthan. It was not considered a violation of the code of conduct at that time.

Also read: Dularchand murder case: Who are Karmaveer and Rajveer whose names came up? Grandson said- Anant Singh shot