Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan to contest upcoming Lok Sabha election

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan has been padding himself up to bat on a different pitch.

As per reports, the former aggressive cricketer, Pathan is all set to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as part of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. He is going to contest from the Behrampore constituency. 

The move is in alignment with the party’s ploy as it gears up for a grand inauguration of its 2024 campaign. TMC revealed its lineup of 42 candidates during a mega event, setting the stage for the all-important electoral contest.

Pathan has been associated in the past with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team. He has been the architect of many matches for the franchise and hence is very much popular in the city. Pathan has recently been featuring in a number of exhibition matches.

The Behrampore constituency is currently held by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress. Fielding a popular figure from Chowdhury’s stronghold is also being seen as Trinamool’s response to his repeated attacks on the party.

In other major takeaways from Trinamool's list, sitting MP actor Nusrat Jahan, the sitting MP from the Basirhat seat, has been dropped from the list.

Mahua Moitra, who was expelled from the Lok Sabha in a bribe-for-question scam, has been renominated from the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency.

Kirti Azad will contest from the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency in West Burdwan district.

Actor Saayoni Ghosh will be contesting from the Jadavpur constituency after actress Mimi Chankraborty's announcement that she wanted to quit politics.