Baharampur: Former cricketer and TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan hit the campaign trail on Thursday from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, asserting his readiness to put up a "good fight" in the Congress stronghold. The TMC workers rolled out the red carpet for the former India all-rounder, and he engaged with party workers and activists.
Addressing reporters regarding opposition claims that he is an outsider, Pathan said, "Narendra Modi is from Gujarat but contests from Varanasi, so what's the problem if I contest from here (Bengal)? I am Bengal's child. I have come here to stay." Referring to a cricket analogy used by former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who compared his fight in Baharampur against Adhir Chowdhury to "Up against Brett Lee," Pathan said, "We will try to give a good fight. Whenever there is an India-Australia match, we always witness a good fight."
Sharing pictures of his campaign, the TMC said people from all walks of life came together to extend a hearty welcome to the party's nominee. "The streets of Baharampur are filled to the brim! The atmosphere was electric as people from all walks of life came together to extend a hearty welcome to our MP candidate and a revered cricketing legend, @iamyusufpathan. With a sincere commitment to the welfare of Ma, Mati, Manush, he's ready to jump into action! His arrival marks the dawn of a new era, where hope and optimism flourish!", said the TMC in a post on X.
Pathan has been fielded from the Congress stronghold of Baharampur Lok Sabha seat, currently represented by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president. Although Chowdhury has not yet been named as a candidate by the Congress, political observers say Pathan's political fortunes are likely to be severely tested by the heavyweight Congress leader, who happens to be a native of the region.
Chowdhury, a five-term MP from Baharampur while speaking about Pathan hitting the campaign trail, said, "Politics and cricket are not the same." Elections to the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat will be held in the fourth phase on May 13. Pathan's nomination initially sparked an inner-party debate, with TMC's Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir criticising the nomination of an "outsider" and considering the idea of contesting as an independent.
However, on Thursday, Kabir changed his mind and decided to work for the party nominee's victory. "After a closed-door meeting with our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee recently, I have decided to campaign for Yusuf Pathan in my assembly constituency," he said. Kabir was seen welcoming Pathan with open arms in the area.
Pathan, born in Baroda, Gujarat, and admired for being an aggressive all-rounder, officially hung up his boots from all forms of cricket in February 2021 after dominating the sports pitch for nearly two decades.
