Telangana Minister for Minority Welfare Mohammad Azharuddin and Professor M. Kodandaram Reddy were sworn in as members of the state’s Legislative Council. The oath was administered by Council Chairman G. Sukhender Reddy at an event in the Assembly building. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, along with other leaders of the ruling Congress party, attended the ceremony.
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla nominated Azharuddin and Kodandaram as members of the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota. Their nominations are subject to the final outcome of all pending appeals, as per the state government’s notification. Azharuddin and Kodandaram replaced D. Rajeshwar Rao and Farooq Hussain, whose terms expired on May 27, 2023.
Azharuddin, a former Indian cricket captain and Congress party member, was nominated as an MLC to continue in the Cabinet. Kodandaram, a key figure in the Telangana statehood movement and leader of Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), supported the Congress party in the 2023 elections. The nominations of Azharuddin and Kodandaram were recommended by the Telangana Cabinet in August 2025 under the Governor’s quota.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had urged the Governor to approve the pending nominations during a meeting on April 19. The nominations were delayed due to a case pending in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had previously stayed the appointment of Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan as MLCs under the Governor’s quota.
