From winning the T20 and ODI World Cup to landing an IPL trophy, former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan is all set to get his swashbuckling personality on the political field as he looks to rubs shoulders of the who's who in Indian politics. (More Cricket News)
The Trinamool Congress candidate defeated seasoned Congressman and five-time MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in what is being seen as a shocker from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. He could well turn out to be a giant-slayer going by the current trend.
Yusuf amassed 4,76,913 votes while Adhir Chowdhury earned 4,03,651 votes.
Speaking to the press post the victory, an elated Yusuf said, “I respect Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury a lot. He is a senior leader. I give my best wishes to him… I will open a sports academy to encourage children to represent the state and country… The people have given their support to me.”
"Uparwale ka rahem, karam bolein (Call this God's mercy, blessings), I always feel that I am for big matches, moments," Yusuf had said after accepting TMC's offer to switch to politics.
"I just have to bat for them. I don't want to become a politician. I want to keep my image of a sportsperson intact. But after winning, I will work for my constituency and will make sure that I spend at least eight days in a month there," he had promised.
The 41-year-old is a first-timer when it comes to politics, his life so far has been defined by cricket where he earned the reputation of being a powerful and clean striker of the ball.
Yusuf's switch to politics was, therefore, a surprise call, or in hindsight, a masterstroke by chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.
The duo had celebrated together at the Eden Gardens with team owner Shah Rukh Khan when Yusuf's IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders triumphed in 2012 and 2014.
Four years after that momentous T20 World Cup triumph, Yusuf was seen lifting Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders in India's victory parade after winning the 2011 ODI World Cup.
The dynamic all-rounder is one of the few cricketers to have won both the T20 and ODI World Cups, not to mention three IPL titles for two different franchises.
Speaking of his party Trinamool Congress (TMC), they have taken 29 seats of West Bengal's 42 Lok Sabha seats as compared to BJP's 12 as per the EC website.
(With PTI inputs)
