In India, there is a history of sporting icons, especially cricketers, trying their luck in politics. Mainstream political parties very often see value in their sporting persona and field them to exploit their popularity for political gains. Nowadays, cricketers too, for varying reasons, seek a share in power and don’t hesitate to reach out to parties for tickets. In the 2024 general elections, the sensational and stellar political debut of former Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan from the Berhampur constituency of West Bengal, has again brought an old but still relevant question to the fore: do successful cricketers make successful politicians?
Pathan has defeated five-time Congress parliamentarian Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary on a Trinamool Congress ticket and this is an ideal political debut for him by any standard. In a state where the political prestige of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was at stake and her party was facing an anti-incumbency wave, Pathan’s victory looks even more promising given the challenge he had to face from one of Congress’ heavyweights. While he was believed to have been picked by Mamata Banerjee to contest from Berhampur for being a key face of the Kolkata Knight Riders, an IPL franchise based in Kolkata, he had to still face allegations of being an outsider from the Opposition camp during the campaigning.