Yusuf Pathan hence abandons his world of impressive batting, challenging his next hindrance in politics. This challenge is none other than the famous Baharampur seat in West Bengal. Pathan, who opted to retire from cricket in February 2021, contests on the Trinamool Congress ticket and has a fair chance of pulling down net Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
The random appearance of Pathan in the political arena seems to raise the question since he was never involved in it. On the other hand, his choice was stirred by such of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhashe. The choice to go solo was also precipitated by his brother, Irfan, and wife, Afreen. They were the consulting witnesses before he finally embarked on the solo trip.
Being a former player of Kolkata Knight Riders, which had been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pathan gained an understanding of why Mayor Mamata Banerjee’s administration was the most memorable one of all, which further showed him the real source of enthusiasm from the people.
Pathan, ideologically like-minded, underscores that religious sentiments shouldn’t shape the policies and immerses himself in the socio-economic welfare of all communities. Although his political career could be the first step into a significant project, Pathan’s cricket career, with all its sentiments and passions, won’t leave him. He hopes to bring the same energy and zeal of cricket to public service.
With Baharampur, one of the principal constituencies in the Muslim majority camp, Chaudhary Benazir Begum can expect to draw support from Muslim voters and identify their issues. He endeavours to promote job creation, an industry in sports development, and improvements in many other sectors in the region.
Pathan’s footsteps in people’s political life have enriched their lives as he accepts the challenges together and faces the new responsibility of making people happier. On the one hand, he has achieved a great feat in cricket; on the other, he is striving to earn a political seat, brewing enough power for Pathan to change the political landscape of West Bengal significantly.
