Former cricketer Yusuf Khan Pathan claims that he has the support of several top IPL cricketers as he prepares for his first ever fight in the 2024 general elections. The 41-year-old Yusuf who was famous for his hard hitting batsmanship, was recently roped in by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to battle it out on behalf of her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party.
West Bengal will be sending 42 members to the Lok Sabha. As a state, WB has the third largest representation in the Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh (80) and Maharashtra (48).
Yusuf Pathan will be fielded for the Berhampore (also spelled as Baharampur) seat in West Bengal where his leading opponent will be the seasoned Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who has been the MP since 1999. In 2019 the TMC had fielded Apurba Sarkar who had lost to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by about 79,000 votes. Can Yusuf Pathan make a difference this time? TMC is hoping that it has made the right choice.
Birthplace of Shreya Ghosal
Berhampore is the seventh largest city in West Bengal and is located 200 km from Kolkata. It gained importance during the Indian uprising against British rule in 1857. Since then it has been the birthplace of several notable personalities including singer Shreya Ghosal. The leading political figure from this region is Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who has held sway over the masses for more than two decades.
After winning the Berhampore seat in 2019, Chowdhury was selected as Congress leader in the Lok Sabha. Being about 17 years older than Yusuf Pathan, the Congress leader is a vastly experienced man in politics. But the TMC is banking upon the ex-cricketer to hit Chowdhury for a six this time.
Like all well trained sportsmen, Yusuf Pathan is always ready for a struggle and full of confidence. He is psychologically geared up to win competitions.
Played for Kolkata Knight Riders
Having played for the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the IPL, Yusuf Pathan is a well known figure among the sports crazy denizens of West Bengal. His cricket exploits have made him a popular person and he will be joining a galaxy of sports stars who are already within the TMC. It may be recalled that Mamata Banerjee has already inducted several well known footballers and cricketers and they are holding important positions in her party.
But the induction of Pathan has fanned the flames of the debate of an outsider being brought into the contest in West Bengal. To complicate matters, Chowdhury has been periodically taking pot shots at the TMC leadership so Pathan will have to overcome both the arch rivals both from the BJP as well as the INC.
The INDIA bloc collapsed in West Bengal when the TMC announced candidates from all the 42 seats. Expectedly the INC hit out at Ms Banerjee by saying that she is an unreliable leader whose word has no value. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “Our doors are always open for seat sharing negotiations but there should be no unilateral announcements. I don’t know what pressures there were on the TMC but our party wanted the INDIA group to fight against the BJP unitedly.”
Complicated situation
So Yusuf Pathan will have to step onto a pitch that has been stepped on and scuffed up by many people. No cricketer likes to play on such a surface but Pathan has no choice. He will have to adopt a do or die approach. It is akin to many pressure situations that he had faced during cricket career.
Pathan is banking heavily on his cricket background to influence the voters in his favour. However recently he was ordered by the election commission to take down posters that showed him in the company of Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni. and his teammates from the 2011 World Cup. He was told that it was against the Model Code of Conduct.
Gautam Gambhir’s opinion
Pathan’s former teammate Gautam Gambhir who later joined the BJP is one of Pathan’s ardent admirers. According to Gambhir, Pathan has the mental ability to stay calm and reach the target that has been set before him. Pathan will need all his strength of character in this electoral battle. West Bengal, along with Bihar and Uttar Pradesh will be the three states where elections will be held in all seven phases from 19th April to 1st June. Whether Pathan’s popularity with his numerous fans will fetch him a victory will be known when the results are announced on 4th June.
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