Hyderabad: In a surprising decision, the Telangana cabinet has reportedly cleared the names of Congress leader and ex-cricketer Mohd Azharuddin along with that of Prof M Kodandaram for MLC posts under the governor’s quota. This comes just days after the Supreme Court struck down the earlier appointment of Kodandaram and The Siasat Daily‘s editor Amer Ali Khan as MLCs by the government.
The new development of having Azharuddin as an MLC is likely a move by the ruling Congress to ensure that he is given a position so that another person can be the party candidate for the upcoming Jubilee Hills by-election. Azharuddin, according to party sources, does not enjoy a great reputation in the constituency as he has not been on the ground since he lost in the 2023 state polls.
According to Congress sources, party leader Naveen Yadav is likely to be the candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election. Azharuddin had lost the Jubilee Hills by-election to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Maganti Gopinath, who passed away earlier this year. It was his death that necessitated the bypoll.
Moreover, word had gotten around within the Congress that Azharuddin would not be the party candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election given that he did not enjoy a good reputation among locals. However, the former Indian cricketer threw in his hat for the same. The matter is now finally settled with the party making it clear that he will not be contesting.
In a major political turn of events on August, 13, the Supreme Court stayed the appointments of Professor M Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan as Members of the Telangana Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota. The top court issued the directive in response to petitions moved by BRS leaders Dasoju Sravan Kumar and Kurra Satyanarayana, who had questioned the validity of the state government’s January 2024 nominations.
According to them, the appointments were against well-settled norms that govern nominations under the Governor’s quota, reserved for persons of outstanding work in the fields of literature, science, art, and social service.
This decision is the culmination of a long-drawn legal fight. In March 2024, the Telangana High Court quashed the state government’s nominations and the Governor’s previous rejection of the nominees of the BRS. The Supreme Court, however, stayed that order in August 2024, keeping Kodandaram and Khan in office until the final judgment.
The Supreme Court has now determined the case in favour of the petitioners, ruling the two appointments to be invalid. The court has scheduled the next hearing in related proceedings for September 17, 2025.
