Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan will contest Lok Sabha Polls from West Bengal’s Bahrampur constituency, said Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday, making him the third cricketer from the 2011 World Cup winning squad to join politics. Incidentally, his 2011 World Cup-winning teammates Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh had joined politics earlier.
After joining TMC, his younger brother Irfan took to X, to congratulate him on the move and credited him for his patience and kindness towards needy people. “Your patience, kindness, help to the needy, and service to people even without an official position can be easily noticed. I am confident that once you step into a political role, you will truly make a difference in the daily lives of people.”
Your patience, kindness, help to the needy and service to people even without an official position can be easily noticed. I am confident that once you step into a political role, you will truly make a difference in the daily lives of people @iamyusufpathan
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 10, 2024
The Baroda-native is set to contest against Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. His name is, however, still to be confirmed by the Congress. It is expected that Chowdhury will recontest for the Lok Sabha seat from the Bahrampur constituency which he represented five times before.
“The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal.” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
“The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalized through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements. The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA group to fight the BJP together,” he added.
The two-time World Cup winner has represented India in 57 ODIs, scoring 870 runs at an average of 27. He has two centuries to his name. Apart from winning the 2011 World Cup, he was also a member of the Team India squad which won the T20 World Cup in 2007.
Pathan also had cricketing connections to West Bengal as he represented the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise and was a key member in their IPL triumphs in 2012 and 2014.