New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) Former India cricketer Kirti Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning Kapil’s Devils, made a strong political comeback beating West Bengal BJP heavyweight Dilip Ghosh from Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections here on Tuesday.
Azad, representing the All India Trinamool Congress, defeated Ghosh, the incumbent MP representing Medinipur constituency and former BJP state president, by a margin of 1,37,981 votes.
It came as a rude shock for BJP as Ghosh had also served as one of the national vice-presidents of the party from 2021 till 2023 and was a vocal critic of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress government in the state.
Another former cricketer and Trinamool Congress candidate Yusuf Pathan, hailing from Gujarat, is set to cause a major upset as he is currently enjoying a handsome lead of 85,328 votes against five-time Congress MP and incumbent leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in West Bengal’s Bahrampur constituency.
Azad, son of former Chief Minister of Bihar Bhagwat Jha Azad, played seven Test matches and 25 One-Day International for India between 1980 and 1986 and was a member of the national side that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup under Kapil Dev’s leadership in England.
Azad is no novice to Indian politics. He was elected to Parliament for the first time from Darbhanga in Bihar in 1999. He was again elected to the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga for two consecutive terms in 2009 and 2014 on BJP ticket.
An outspoken person, Azad was suspended by the BJP in 2015 after he criticised the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over alleged corruption in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA).
Azad unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Dhanbad on a Congress ticket. He switched allegiance to Trinamool Congress in 2021.
On the other hand, it was Yusuf’s maiden foray into politics.
Yusuf was a part of the Indian team that won the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa and was also a member of the side that clinched the 2011 ODI World Cup at home.
Among other sportspersons in the electoral battle, double Paralympic gold-medallist javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, contesting on a BJP ticket, lost by 72,737 votes to Congress’ Rahul Kaswan from Rajasthan’s Churu constituency.
Hockey legend and current Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey of Biju Janata Dal is also set to lose from his native Sundargarh constituency to BJP heavyweight and former Union minister Jual Oram as he is trailing by 1,36,737 votes.
Source: PTI News
