BJP Loses Bid to Stop Azhar, Swearing-in Today
According to the communiqué from Raj Bhavan, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma would administer oath to Azharuddin at a ceremony to be held at Raj Bhavan at 12.15 pm.
Hyderabad:Former Indian cricket captain Md Azharuddin will be inducted into the Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy-led Telangana Cabinet on Friday. According to the communiqué from Raj Bhavan, Governor Jishnu Dev Varma would administer oath to Azharuddin at a ceremony to be held at Raj Bhavan at 12.15 pm.
Governor’s principal secretary M. Dana Kishore on Thursday evening sent a letter to Chief Secretary in this regard, putting an end to speculation over Varma’s decision against the backdrop of Opposition parties’ allegations that the swearing-in of Azharuddin would be in violation of the model code of conduct that is in place for the November 11 Jubilee Hills byelection.
Official sources told Deccan Chronicle that a section of BJP leaders had explored the possibility of halting Azharuddin’s induction and approached Raj Bhavan through the Centre. “After examining Constitutional provisions, the Governor took a conscious decision to go ahead with the swearing-in,” sources said.
Inquiries by this correspondent with top officials of the Election Commission of India also revealed that “there would no restriction on normal Constitutional actions including the appointment of ministers who are Constitutional functionaries.” There will be no issue with the model code. “It is only the moral code will be put to test,” a senior official quipped.
Leaving nothing to chance ahead of the crucial bypoll, the Congress leadership decided to make Azharuddin a Cabinet minister to consolidate its position among a strong section of the electorate – Muslim voters. Though the All India Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslimeen (AIMIM) extended its support to the Congress, the ruling party got feedback that there was no massive rally of the minority vote towards ruling party candidate Naveen Yadav. Party leaders dismissed the Opposition’s contention that the Chief Minister had pressed the panic button out of desperation.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao sought to underplay the development, fearing loss of minority vote for the party. He merely posted a message in his X handle that desperate times called for desperate measures (including Azharuddin’s induction into the Cabinet and CM promising moon to cine workers).
At one stage, sources said, the Opposition parties pressed their legal teams into service to assess the chances of judicial intervention. Reportedly advised against it, the BJP lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Sudarshan Reddy against the “violation of model code.” A three-member delegation including BJP Assembly deputy floor leader Payal Shankar, former NDMA vice-chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy and K. Anthony Reddy, member of the BJP Election Commission affairs committee, submitted the memorandum alleging that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was trying to appease a section of voters by grossly violating the model of conduct.
Urging the CEO to initiate immediate action to check attempts to include Azharuddin into the Cabinet, the BJP leaders said that the move is nothing but to woo and garner Muslim votes. “It is an utter violation of the model code of conduct which is applicable for the entire city of Hyderabad,” they said.