HYDERABAD: With the state Cabinet recommending the names of Prof Kodandaram and Mohammed Azharuddin for MLC seats under the Governor’s quota, an intense discussion has begun within the ruling party over the candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election.
Although Azharuddin, the former India cricket captain, lost from the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in 2023, there were strong expectations that the Congress would field him again in the upcoming bypoll.
However, in a sudden development, the ruling party decided to nominate him for the Legislative Council seat instead of Amer Ali Khan, whose nomination to the Upper House under the Governor’s quota was recently struck down by the Supreme Court along with that of Kodandaram.
Now, the Cabinet has once again proposed Kodandaram’s nomination along with Azharuddin’s for the Council seats under the Governor’s quota. This has raised fresh questions about the Congress candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election, though indications suggest that the party may choose either a BC leader or someone from the minority community.
According to senior Congress leaders, Azharuddin is likely to be accommodated in the Cabinet if the Governor clears his nomination to the Council, as the ruling party currently has no MLA or MLC from the minority community.
Meanwhile, sources said BC leader Naveen Yadav’s name is doing the rounds as a potential candidate for Jubilee Hills bypoll, though the candidature of Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal
Vijayalakshmi has not been ruled out. Faheem Qureshi, vice-chairman of the Telangana Minority Residential Schools Society, is also seen as a strong contender if the party opts to give the ticket under the minority quota.
A senior leader opined that since the Congress has repeatedly stressed its commitment to implementing 42% reservation for BCs, it is most likely to field a BC candidate for the Jubilee Hills byelection.