Hyderabad | Congress leader and former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin is likely to be inducted into the Telangana Cabinet soon, sources said on Wednesday.

The present Cabinet comprises 15 members, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy with no representation from minorities.

As per the provisions there is room for three more members in the Cabinet.

The Telangana Legislative Assembly has 119 legislators.

The former cricketer’s appointment to the ministry, if confirmed, is seen as a crucial step as the Congress party has been fighting tooth and nail in the Jubilee Hills by-poll, where over a lakh Muslim voters could play a decisive role.

The by-poll is necessitated by the death of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath in June this year, following a heart attack.

“There has been a request from Telangana Congress to the party high command to induct Azharuddin into the cabinet as currently there is no representation of minorities in it. The AICC also approved Azharuddin’s name. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be held the day after tomorrow (Friday),” the sources told PTI.

If inducted, the former cricketer would become the first minister from a minority community in Revanth Reddy’s cabinet.

Another Congress leader suggested that the AICC's support for Azharuddin' induction may also be driven by the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, where Muslim voters constitute a significant bloc in the eastern state.

Azharuddin was nominated as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota by the Telangana government in August last week. However, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma is yet to clear the appointment.

He unsuccessfully contested from Jubilee Hills Assembly segment in 2023 polls.