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Hyderabad: Mohammed Azharuddin, who took oath as minister in the Telangana cabinet, was allotted the Minority Welfare and Public Enterprises portfolios on Tuesday.
Governor Jishnu Dev Verma allotted portfolios to Congress leader and former Indian cricket captain Azharuddin.
The Minority Welfare portfolio was with Scheduled Caste Development and Tribal Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar, while Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy looked after the Public Enterprises Department.
Azharuddin has been allotted portfolios four days after his inclusion in the Council of Ministers.
The Governor had administered the oath of office and secrecy to Azharuddin at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan on October 31.
Azharuddin, 62, is the first Muslim face in the Revanth Reddy-led cabinet.
In August this year, the state cabinet decided to nominate Azharuddin as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota.
He was inducted into the cabinet ahead of the by-election to Jubilee Hills assembly constituency on 11 November.
The former MP, who unsuccessfully contested the elections from his home constituency in 2023, was keen to contest again, but the Congress leadership decided to field Naveen Yadav and promised a cabinet berth to Azharuddin.
All the prominent Muslim candidates of the Congress party, including Azharuddin, faced defeat in the 2023 assembly elections.
Azharuddin’s appointment as minister is being seen as a step by the Congress party to reach out to Muslims, who form about 30 per cent of the voters in Jubilee Hills.
Azharuddin is currently the working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) and a member of its Political Affairs Committee.
With Azharuddin’s swearing-in, the strength of the state cabinet has increased to 16.
The cabinet was formed with the swearing-in of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and 11 ministers on December 7, 2023.
After long delays, the cabinet was expanded with the addition of three ministers on 8 June.
The state cabinet can have a maximum of 18 ministers including the Chief Minister.
–IANS