Revanth Reddy Urges Governor to Clear Council Nominations as Deadline Nears for Azharuddin

Hyderabad, April 2026: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, urging him to approve the long-pending nominations of Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin and M. Kodandaram to the Telangana Legislative Council.

The Chief Minister, accompanied by Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu and Rajya Sabha MP Vem Narender Reddy, called on the Governor at Lok Bhavan and requested him to grant approval for the nominations under the Governor’s quota. The meeting assumes significance as the issue has remained unresolved for several months.

The development comes a day after Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao and Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy also met the Governor, reportedly to discuss administrative and legal aspects related to the pending nominations.

The urgency is particularly high in the case of Azharuddin, who was sworn in as a minister on October 31, 2025, but is not currently a member of either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. As per constitutional provisions, he must secure membership in either House within six months of taking oath, setting an April 30 deadline for his continuation in the Cabinet.

The Telangana Cabinet had recommended the names of Azharuddin and Kodandaram for nomination to the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota as early as August 30, 2025. However, the Governor has yet to approve the file, leading to mounting political and administrative pressure.

Last month, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had expressed confidence that the Governor would eventually clear the nominations. He pointed out that the Supreme Court had recently indicated it had no objection to the matter, allowing the state government to pursue the issue with the Governor.

The nominations, however, are entangled in a complex legal backdrop. The Cabinet’s decision to nominate Azharuddin and Kodandaram came shortly after the Supreme Court stayed the earlier appointment of Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan as MLCs under the Governor’s quota. The stay was issued following petitions by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders Dasoju Sravan and Kurra Satyanarayana, who challenged the nominations.

The apex court had observed that the swearing-in of the nominees after interim orders was improper and clarified that any such appointments would remain subject to the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings.

Earlier, Kodandaram and Amer Ali Khan had been nominated to the Council in January 2024, but their appointments were set aside by the High Court in March. This followed petitions by the same BRS leaders, whose own nominations—recommended by the previous BRS government in July 2023—had been rejected by then Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on the grounds that they were politically aligned individuals.

The High Court later ruled that the Governor could only return the recommendations for reconsideration and not reject them outright. Following this ruling, the BRS leaders sought fresh consideration for their nominations. However, after the Congress came to power in the state, the Governor declined their request.

Subsequently, Sravan and Satyanarayana approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to compel the Governor to appoint them as MLCs. The apex court, however, declined to issue any such directive.

Amid this legal and political tussle, the fate of Azharuddin and Kodandaram’s nominations remains uncertain. With the constitutional deadline fast approaching for Azharuddin, the Governor’s decision is expected to be crucial in determining not only his ministerial position but also the broader dynamics between the state government and the Raj Bhavan.

The coming days are likely to be critical as the Telangana government continues its efforts to secure approval and resolve the prolonged impasse.