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Hyderabad: Telangana Minority Welfare Minister Mohammad Azharuddin and retired professor M Kodandaram took oath as Members of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota here on Monday, April 26. 

The Telangana Legislative Council Chairperson Gutha Sukhender Reddy administered the oath in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, other Cabinet colleagues and senior leaders.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla had nominated them on April 26, following a prolonged delay. The Telangana Cabinet had originally recommended their names under the Governor’s quota in August last year. 

Azharuddin, who was sworn in as Minorities Welfare Minister on October 31, 2025, was constitutionally required to secure a legislature seat by April 30 to continue in the Cabinet. CM Revanth Reddy had met the Governor on April 19 to request clearance of the pending nominations. 

Kodandaram’s appointment had also faced legal hurdles after former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS)-era nominees challenged their rejection in court.

Speaking to reporters after taking oath, Azharuddin, the former cricketer, thanked All India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, along with CM Reddy and the Governor. 

Responding to past BRS allegations that he was made a minister solely to secure Muslim votes in the Jubilee Hills byelection, he said his MLC nomination was like a “slap” for such comments. 

Kodandaram, who played a key role in the Telangana statehood agitation as chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), said he would work for the people’s welfare with commitment.