Kolkata: Former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and can contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Berhampore seat in Murshidabad district. TMC chief Abhishek Banerjee introduced Pathan’s candidature Sunday amid big cheer — hoping to wrest the seat from the Congress, which has held it since 1999 beneath MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The TMC has by no means gained this seat since its inception and now seems to show that round with “star power”. The social gathering has rigorously chosen its candidates to problem the BJP in West Bengal, which has the third-highest variety of MPs within the Lower House.
According to TMC sources, the social gathering approached Pathan “very recently” to supply him a ticket, because it was on the lookout for a “minority face” for Berhampore, the place 52 p.c of the voters are minorities.
Pathan, a former Kolkata Knight Riders participant who wore the purple jersey for seven years, due to this fact turned the highest management’s selection.
Speaking to the media individuals in Kolkata, Pathan stated, “I have been given this opportunity by the TMC to be their voice and help them and I decided to take it up in a very short time. As representatives of the people, it is our duty to uplift the poor and deprived.”
Pathan, who hails from Gujarat, was not the one shock within the checklist of 42 candidates introduced by the TMC.
Another former cricketer, Kirti Azad, was additionally fielded by the TMC from the Burdwan-Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency, however his title was already doing the rounds after he shared a stage with Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata final month. Azad had formally joined the TMC in November 2021.
The social gathering supporters cheered loudly when Pathan’s title was introduced on the public rally, displaying his recognition. Pathan is the third cricketer from the 2011 World Cup-winning workforce to enter politics, after Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh.
According to political analyst Jayanta Ghoshal, Pathan added the star energy to the TMC’s candidate checklist.
“If you see the entire list, there are sitting MLAs, sitting MPs, candidates who have been given tickets before. A few were seen fighting Vidhan Sabha polls and a few have fought 2019 polls, but when it comes to star power, that was Yusuf Pathan — the new and popular face for the TMC,” Ghoshal instructed ThePrint.
He added that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seen selecting celebrities to garner mass help, however extra importantly, she has picked Pathan towards Chowdhury to breach that seat “to prove a point to Congress politically”.
Cricketer and TMC MLA Manoj Tiwary instructed ThePrint: “Yusuf Pathan is a very good friend and I am very happy he has joined the TMC. We share so much in common that I made him comfortable and shared some advice as this was the first time for him. We had lunch together after his name was announced.”
He added: “I found out from him today that Yusuf bhai never took his daily allowance while on tours because he would give it to the groundsmen. This side of his is unknown, he wants to work for the party and this will be a big boost for the TMC. People of Bengal have seen him play for KKR too.”
Pathan and his youthful brother Irfan Pathan have each performed cricket for India. Their father Mehmood Pathan recalled in a tv interview how he had enrolled the brothers in a cricket academy for Rs 20 payment each month and would drop them on his cycle earlier than his obligation.
The Baroda-based cricketer, Yusuf Pathan has performed for India in 57 ODIs, and was a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup workforce after which the 2011 World Cup-winning workforce.
But what provides to the Bengal hyperlink is that he was a part of the KKR IPL franchise that lifted the IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014. Both Yusuf and Irfan then went on to play for the Rajasthan Royals.
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Mamata vs Adhir
Mamata and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s bitter rivalry reached a brand new low when the Congress and the TMC didn’t finalise the seat-sharing association for Bengal.
As Mamata Banerjee determined to struggle solo again in January, the Congress and Left continued to sit down collectively in West Bengal. While the TMC blamed Chowdhury for the impasse, he then again was seen criticising the TMC over state affairs.
While no formal seat sharing numbers or candidates from West Bengal have been introduced both by Left or Congress, the Berhampore seat is more likely to witness a excessive voltage political struggle between the TMC and Congress.
Trinamool sources instructed ThePrint, the Berhampore seat was a part of talks between the Congress and the TMC earlier than the deal collapsed, because the TMC was not prepared to present greater than three seats to the Congress, which had demanded round 10 seats.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: INDIA’s Bengal seat-sharing deadlock: TMC eyes lead function, CPIM defiant, state Congress eager to ‘go solo’
