The 1983 World Cup Fast Bowler Kirti Azad To Run From Bardhaman DurgapurIn the 42 candidate’s list of TMC, Kriti Azad has secured his place to run for the upcoming 18th Lok Sabha election from Bardhaman Durgapur seat. In 2019, Dr S S Ahluwalia, a BJP candidate, won the election from here. This year BJP nominated senior leader former state president Dilip Ghosh to fight Kirti Azad from this constituency.
Kirti Azad the cricketer turned politician who had won the 2014 general elections on BJP ticket from Darbhanga. He is a graduate of St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. He was the player of Indian cricket team during the 1983 World Cup whose bowling helped India win.
Though Azad won the election in 2014 on a BJP ticket, he was suspended from the party in December 2015 over his corruption remarks against the BJP government. In 2019, he joined the Congress party and fought the Lok Sabha election from Dhanabad, Jharkhand but lost the seat with nearly 4.8 lakh votes to Pashupati Nath Singh. Later in November 2021, Kriti Azad joined the Trinamool Congress and remarked that he would be part of the party till his political career ends.
Azad became part of a controversy when he commented on PM Modi’s attire in Meghalaya. “He is neither male nor female, he is only a priest of fashion,” tweeted Kirti Azad. TMC later condemned Kriti’s tweet by saying it ‘upholds India’s diversity and respects the vibrant culture of our nation”.
Dilip Ghosh, the BJP candidate, has already targeted the former cricketer during the campaign. “I don’t see who is against me. I don’t see bowlers. I see balls”, said he. “Regardless of who the fielders are, I am the batsman and I am ready to show my performance”, he said further.
Bardhman Durgapur is a TMC stronghold as 6 out of 7 assembly seats in 2021 were won by the party and only 1 seat was won by BJP. However, in 2019, the BJP registered a 23.95% rise in its votes during the Lok Sabha election. This is a general category parliament seat with a 67.99 percent literacy rate. The SC, ST, and Muslim population of the constituency is 27.41 percent, 6.3 percent, and 20.73 percent. The district has a sex ratio of 945 females for every 1000 males. The district is fortunate in both agriculture and industry. Rice produced here is exported majorly.