Former Indian cricket captain and Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin expressed gratitude after being nominated for the Member of Legislative Council (MLC) post under the Governor’s quota in Telangana.

Taking to social media, he wrote that he felt “honoured and humbled” by the Cabinet’s decision and thanked Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and KC Venugopal for their trust.

He also extended appreciation to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC chief Mahesh Goud, and Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan for their support, promising to serve the state with “integrity and dedication.”

Deeply honored and humbled by the Cabinet’s decision to nominate me for the MLC post under the Governor’s quota in Telangana.

My heartfelt thanks to Congress President Shri @kharge ji, Smt. Sonia Gandhi madam, Shri @RahulGandhi ji, Smt. @priyankagandhi ji, and Shri…

— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) August 31, 2025

On Saturday, August 30, the Telangana Cabinet cleared the names of Professor M. Kodandaram and Azharuddin for nomination to the Legislative Council.

This move follows a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that struck down the previous nominations of Kodandaram, founder of the Telangana Jana Samithi, and Amer Ali Khan, news editor of The Siasat Daily.

The nominations had been legally challenged by BRS leaders Dasoju Sravan and Kurra Satyanarayana, whose own recommendations in 2023 were earlier rejected by then-Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan due to their political affiliations. In March 2024, the Telangana High Court set aside the Governor’s rejection of the BRS nominees while also invalidating the Cabinet’s decision to nominate Kodandaram and Khan. The Supreme Court later ruled that the two should not have been sworn in after the High Court’s verdict.

Azharuddin’s nomination has also drawn attention as he was earlier considered Congress’ potential candidate for the Jubilee Hills by-election after the demise of MLA Maganti Gopinath. The former cricketer had contested from the same seat in the 2023 Assembly elections but was defeated.