Like father, like son: After cricket, Azhar's son enters politics, named Telangana Congress general secy

The Print

10 hours ago

Asaduddin has played in Ranji Tournaments and now has entered the political pitch.
One among 69 general secretaries appointed to the Telangana Congress earlier this week by the party leadership is Mohammad Asaduddin, son of former cricketer and team India captain, and former Lok Sabha MP Mohammad Azharuddin.
Hyderabad: First he followed his dad's footsteps into the cricket field, and now into the political arena.
The appointment of Asaduddin, 35, comes after Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills seat fell vacant following MLA Maganti Gopinath's death Sunday from a heart attack, leading to speculation that Asaduddin could be the Congress contestant for the ensuing bypolls.
In the November 2023 Telangana elections, Azharuddin was the Congress nominee from Jubilee Hills, and lost to Maganti of the BRS by a margin of 16,337 votes after getting an early lead against the sitting MLA.
'I don't know what's in store for me. My dad is still active in politics. Let's see,' Asaduddin, also known as Abbas, told ThePrint when asked about the prospects of him getting the Congress ticket.
Formally associated with the Congress since the 2023 polls, Asaduddin was actively involved in his father's poll campaign, managing the rallies, mohalla meetings etc., across the constituency.
'All I can say is that despite the disappointing loss, I stayed strongly connected with the people in Jubilee Hills, taking up their issues,' Asaduddin says.
Before his elevation as general secretary, Asaduddin served as the Youth Congress's sports cell secretary in Telangana. Asaduddin is a graduate in law and is married to tennis player Sania Mirza's sister Anam Mirza.
Doting dad Azharuddin, meanwhile, is vouching for his son's public service commitment and political abilities.
'A proud and emotional moment for me as my son, Mohammed Asaduddin, steps into his official role in public life as the General Secretary of the Telangana Congress,' Azharuddin wrote on X Tuesday, a day after the Congress revamped its Telangana Pradesh Committee, appointing 27 new vice-presidents and 69 general secretaries.
'I've seen his commitment to people, his passion for service, and his sincerity up close. May he stay grounded, focused, and guided by the values that truly matter. Wishing him all the very best as he takes on this responsibility,' the former star cricketer wrote on X.
Azharuddin, whose brilliant cricketing career was cut short by the match-fixing scandal, had joined the Congress before the 2009 general elections. He went on to win the Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha seat that year, but was defeated when he contested the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) seat in 2014.
After that loss, Azhar, as he's popularly known, had padded up again for the 2023 Telangana polls, playing on a smaller ground this time. His loyalty to the Congress had fetched him the post of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee working president just before the 2018 state election.
The Jubilee Hills assembly seat (which is in the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency), had 3.75 lakh voters in 2023, of whom about 1.2 lakh—a third of the total—are Muslims, according to political parties' estimates.
Though it has big stretches of jhuggis and lower middle-class settlements, Jubilee Hills is also home to some of the richest in Telangana—from businessmen who made their fortunes in sectors such as IT, realty and pharma, to politicians and Telugu film personalities.
'I believe my passion to work for people, staying in touch with all sections etc., are traits recognised by the party leadership. I am thankful to TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud and CM Revanth Reddy and will work under their command for the Congress,' Asaduddin says.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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