Overview
- A government order on Nov. 4 and the governor’s allotment assigned Mohammad Azharuddin the Minorities Welfare and Public Enterprises portfolios four days after his oath.
- Public Enterprises shifted from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minorities Welfare from SC Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar, taking the cabinet to 16 members.
- The BJP complained to the State Election Commission alleging a Model Code breach and accusing appeasement, while the BRS called the move tokenism after he was not given Sports.
- Dalit leaders objected to stripping Laxman Kumar of the Minorities Welfare brief, framing the change as a slight to the community.
- Azharuddin, now the cabinet’s sole minority representative with an MLC nomination under the Governor’s quota still pending clearance, said he is satisfied with the roles and will work hard in them.