Hyderabad, June 14: Nasyam Mohammed Farooq is the lone Muslim face in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Andhra Pradesh.
Farooq took oath along with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and 23 other ministers at a ceremony held in Vijayawada in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several central ministers and leaders of NDA partners on Wednesday.
Farooq is one of the most prominent Muslim leaders of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He has been associated with the TDP since its inception in 1982. He is the seniormost leader after Chandrababu Naidu, who has rewarded him with a Cabinet berth for his loyalty.
The 74-year-old Farooq has become a minister for the fourth time. He took oath in the name of ‘Allah’, a gesture which won the hearts of Muslims in the state.
He was re-elected from Nandyal Assembly constituency in Nandyal district in the elections held on May 13.
Farooq, who studied up to 10th class, had served as a minister in N.T. Rama Rao’s and Chandrababu Naidu’s Cabinets, both in undivided Andhra Pradesh and bifurcated state. A four-time MLA, he had also served as deputy speaker of the Assembly in united Andhra Pradesh.
Born on May 15, 1950, Farooq’s father Nasyam Mohammed Ibrahim Khaleel was a freedom fighter.
Farooq has five sons and a daughter. He was first elected as municipal vice-chairman as an independent candidate in 1980.
In 1985, he was elected to the Assembly of the united Andhra Pradesh from Nandyal on TDP ticket and was made a Minister for Sugar Industries, Wakf and Urdu Academy in the Cabinet headed by NTR.
In 1989, he suffered defeat but in 1994 he returned as MLA and was made Deputy Speaker.
In 1999, Farooq was re-elected and became Minister for Municipal Administration, Minorities Welfare and Wakf Board in the Cabinet headed by Chandrababu Naidu.
In 2004, Farooq suffered defeat. In 2009 and 2014 he unsuccessfully contested for Lok Sabha from Nandyal constituency.
In 2017, he was elected to the Legislative Council and became its chairman. In 2018, Chandrababu Naidu inducted him into his Cabinet as Minister for Minorities Welfare and Empowerment.
In 2024, he was re-elected from Nandyal. He defeated Silpa Ravi Chandra Kishore Reddy of YSRCP by a margin of 12,333 votes.
Under the aegis of N.M.D Firoze Yuva Sena, he distributes almirahs among poor girls at the time of their marriage. He also distributes kits during Ramadan and hosts dinner in every mosque.
Farooq is one of the three Muslims elected on TDP tickets. The TDP scored a landslide victory along with its allies Jana Sena and BJP. The TDP fielded three Muslims and all of them have emerged winners. YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) had fielded seven Muslim candidates, the highest ever in the state’s history and all of them were defeated.
TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance has won a whopping 164 seats in the 175-member Assembly. It also won 21 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats.
Mohammed Naseer Ahmed of TDP has been elected from Guntur East. The third Muslim to be elected to the Assembly is M. Shahjahan Basha.
