Politics cricketers play

It is an irony that Indian cricketers are elbowed out by politicians when it comes to administration of the game, but are welcomed with open arms in politics.

Mohammad Azharuddin is one of the bigger cricketing names to enter the political world, but certainly not the first one to evoke interest once he put his hand up. Starting from Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi almost four decades ago, quite a few have entered the fray at different points in time, but the trend seems to have caught on only in recent years.

But what is it that makes cricketers such a big draw for political parties? BK Hariprasad, general secretary of the AICC, says political parties take cricketers seriously with an eye on the youth. “Cricketers are role models for the young generation. They are idolised by millions and people follow their movements with interest. Therefore they are an asset.”

Only time will tell whether Azhar proves successful, but others like Navjot Sidhu, Kirti Azad and
Chetan Chauhan are already seasoned politicians.

Sidhu may have been termed a ‘stroke-less’ wonder in his early years but his adaptability to the faster version of the game was only bettered by the way with which he buttressed his oratory skills, on the way commentating on the game and participating in reality shows and the like.

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) gave him a ticket from Amritsar for the 2007 by-elections, keen to have him on board even at the cost of antagonizing local party workers.

Much before Sidhu, former India opener Chauhan got a BJP ticket from Amroha district in Uttar Pradesh, and showed as much resilience as his days as an opener, making his way to Parliament twice — in 1991 and 1998.

Kirti Azad’s father, Bhagwat Jha Azad, was a prominent Congress leader, but the World Cup winning player became an MLA on a BJP ticket from the Gole Market constituency of New Delhi in 1993 and went on to find his way to the Lok Sabha from Darbhanga in Bihar in 1999 before losing the subsequent poll.

Former seamer Chetan Sharma, who was assured of a ticket months in advance by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) from Faridabad constituency in his home state of Haryana, has been canvassing for a long time now and waxes eloquent like a true politician about leader Mayawati as well as cricketers’ ability in politics.

“I learnt cricket the hard way and am keen to learn politics from Behan ji (Mayawati),” he says, amidst a busy schedule. “Being a politician is hard work and I feel cricketers are suited to slogging it out as is required.”

Ranjib Biswal, a national selector till recently and a former India under-19 skipper, too has tasted success and been an MP from Jagatsingpur in Orissa, largely because of the legacy handed down by his late father Basant Biswal, also a politician.

There have also been the unsuccessful ones in politics. Pataudi fought the 1971 elections on a Vishal Haryana Party ticket to protest the abolition of the privy purses for royal families, while Manoj Prabhakar made a foray on a Congress (ND Tiwari) ticket in south Delhi following his ouster from the team after the 1996 World Cup.

The likes of Sourav Ganguly and Ajay Jadeja have reportedly spurned feelers while someone like Vinod Kambli is happy to join the Lok Bharti Party in Mumbai.

Film stars have been a regular fare in state and national elections down the years, but cricketers seem to be the new flavour.