Telangana Governor Nominates Azharuddin, Kodandaram to Legislative Council Amid Ongoing Legal Dispute

Hyderabad, April 2026: Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Sunday nominated state minister Mohammad Azharuddin and academician M. Kodandaram as members of the Telangana Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota, providing significant political relief to the ruling dispensation.

The nominations, however, will remain subject to the final outcome of multiple legal appeals currently pending before courts, according to an official notification issued by the state government. Azharuddin and Kodandaram have been nominated to fill vacancies created after the terms of former members D. Rajeshwar Rao and Farooq Hussain ended on May 27, 2023.

Azharuddin’s nomination assumes particular importance as it ensures his continuation in the state Cabinet. Having been sworn in as a minister on October 31, 2025, he was constitutionally required to secure membership in either the Legislative Assembly or the Council by April 30 to retain his ministerial position. The development comes as a major relief for both Azharuddin and the ruling Congress party.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had earlier met the Governor on April 19, urging approval of the pending nominations. The Telangana Cabinet had initially recommended the names of Azharuddin and Kodandaram for the Council under the Governor’s quota on August 30, 2025. The Chief Minister had recently expressed confidence that the nominations would receive the Governor’s assent, citing observations by the Supreme Court of India that it had no objection to the state pursuing the matter with the Governor.

The issue of nominations under the Governor’s quota has been entangled in legal disputes over the past two years. In 2024, both Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan were sworn in as Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs). However, their appointments were challenged by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders Dasoju Sravan and Kurra Satyanarayana, who alleged that the nominations violated interim orders of the Supreme Court.

The apex court subsequently stayed the appointments, observing that administering the oath despite pending legal proceedings was improper. It also clarified that any appointments made under the Governor’s quota would be subject to the final verdict in the ongoing cases.

Earlier developments had further complicated the issue. Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan were initially nominated in January 2024, but the High Court later set aside their appointments in March following petitions by Sravan and Satyanarayana. These petitioners had themselves been recommended for nomination by the previous BRS government in July 2023, a proposal that was rejected by then Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on the grounds that they were “politically aligned.”

The High Court had quashed the Governor’s decision to reject the BRS leaders’ nominations, stating that the Governor could only return such recommendations for reconsideration, not reject them outright. Following this, Sravan and Satyanarayana approached the Governor again, seeking nomination. However, by then, the political landscape had shifted, with the Congress coming to power, and their request was declined.

The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court, where the petitioners sought directions to compel the Governor to appoint them. The apex court, however, declined to issue any such directive.

Against this backdrop, the latest nominations of Azharuddin and Kodandaram mark a significant development in Telangana’s political landscape, though their final status will depend on the outcome of the ongoing judicial proceedings.