Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir last week made his political debut by joining the BJP and is likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from a seat in Delhi. He has joined a list of well-known sportspersons who entered the political arena.
Dilip Tirkey:
The Hindu has called him a “shining symbol of adivasi resurgence in sports”. Considered one of the greatest hockey players, Tirkey played over 400 international matches for India, including three consecutive Olympics — 1996, 2000 and 2004.
In 2012, the BJD government elected him to the Rajya Sabha. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat but lost to another tribal leader, Jual Oram.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore:
The former Army official came into limelight when he won the first individual silver medal in shooting for India in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In 2013 he announced his entry into politics and contested on a BJP ticket from Jaipur (rural) parliamentary seat in the 2014 general elections. He defeated Congress heavyweight C. P. Joshi.
As a minister in the Narendra Modi government, he served as the junior minister in the I&B Ministry and was subsequently given independent charge of the sports ministry, reflecting his growing stature in the BJP-led government.
He is contesting the 2019 elections from the same seat.
Mohammad Azharuddin:
He is considered one of the greatest Indian cricket captains, representing the country in three consecutive world cups — 1992, 1996 and 1999. However, his cricketing career was cut short after he got embroiled in a match-fixing scandal that rocked the cricketing world.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Azharuddin contested and won from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, on a Congress ticket. Five years later, he contested as a Congress candidate from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, where he faced a crushing defeat at the hands of BJP’s Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria.
Bhaichung Bhutia:
If football is a popular sport in the country today, much of the credit goes to Sikkim-born Bhaichung. He is the only Indian player to have made it to the English premier football league. Under his captaincy, India won South Asian Football Federation thrice — 1997, 1999 and 2005.
Cashing in on his popularity, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress fielded him from the high-profile Darjeeling parliamentary seat in 2014 and the state Assembly elections in 2016. He lost on both occasions.
Last year, he floated his own political outfit, Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP). The small Himalayan state is going for simultaneous polls on April 11. Bhutia is going to contest Assembly elections from Gangtok, Sikkim, for which he has filled his nomination.
Navjot Singh Sidhu:
A household name, the former cricketer was known for his mid-on drives. He was in form, he was on a song. He played effortless cricket as an opener. He scored more than 7,000 runs in international cricket.
After retiring from the game, Sidhu took a plunge into active politics and dabbled in showbiz business as well, becoming a regular feature in comedy shows.
Sidhu won elections from the Amritsar parliamentary constituency on a BJP ticket thrice — in 2004, 2007 and 2009. He also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha for a brief period.
He moved to the Congress ahead of the 2017 Punjab elections and is currently a state cabinet minister.
Kirti Azad:
Son of former Bihar chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, Kirti was not new to politics.
A successful right-handed batsman and a right-arm spinner of his time, Kirti was a part of the 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning squad. His sixes are still discussed with reverence.
He became a member of the Delhi Assembly in 1993. Five years later, he was elected to the Lok Sabha, representing the BJP from Darbhanga, Bihar. He won the Darbhanga seat again in 2009 and then then 2014 general elections. However, last month he quit the BJP to join the Congress.
