HYDERABAD: The ruling Congress is set to expand its Cabinet on Friday ahead of the Jubilee Hills byelection to accommodate former Indian cricket captain and ex-MP Mohammad Azharuddin.
On Thursday, arrangements were being made at the Raj Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony at 12.15 pm on Friday in the Durbar Hall.
Governor Jishnu Dev Varma will administer the oath of office to Azharuddin as a member of the Council of Ministers. Invitations have been sent by the General Administration Department (GAD) to ministers, MLAs, MLCs and other dignitaries.
The BJP has objected to the Cabinet expansion, arguing that it violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) since the Jubilee Hills byelection process is underway.
The party alleged that the move is aimed at influencing Muslim voters, who form a sizeable portion, about 1.4 lakh, of the electorate in the constituency.
In a complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer, BJP Legislative Party deputy leader Payal Shankar and party election committee chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy reminded the CEO that Azharuddin had contested the 2023 Assembly elections from Jubilee Hills as a Congress candidate.
This will be the third Cabinet expansion under the Congress government. The Cabinet currently includes the Chief Minister and 15 ministers, with three berths vacant.
A month ago, the Cabinet had approved the nomination of Azharuddin and Prof M Kodandaram to the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota, but the file is still pending with the Raj Bhavan.
Once sworn in, Azharuddin will have six months to secure election either to the Assembly or the Council to retain his ministerial position.
