Cricketing Stars in the Poll Arena: A Critical Examination

The presence of Mohd Azharuddin in the poll arena has led various political parties to make efforts to rope in Team India cricketers to campaign in the coming Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress, in particular, is ahead in attracting the cricketer after fielding Azharuddin from the Moradabad seat. However, the cricketers are in a dilemma as association with any political party could hinder their cricketing career in the future.

Key Takeaways:

• The Congress is leading in attracting Team India cricketers to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.
• Azharuddin has announced that several senior cricketers will campaign for him during his maiden political test.
• Several cricketers, including R P Singh, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawala, and Praveen Kumar, have been contacted by the Congress for a brief campaign.
• Names of UP skipper Mohd Kaif and other state players are also on circulation for campaigning.
• Former UP skipper Jyoti Yadav has joined the Samajwadi Party and will campaign for all SP candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.
• The Congress is in talks with several cricketers of national and state repute to campaign for their candidates in UP.
• The IPL schedule is a concern for the cricketers as they are scheduled to leave for South Africa on April 18.
• The Congress does not want to play with the future of the cricketers if they decide not to campaign for them.

Statistics:

• 4 cricketers (R P Singh, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawala, and Praveen Kumar) have been contacted by the Congress for a brief campaign.
• 2 politicians (Azharuddin and Jyoti Yadav) with cricketing backgrounds are campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.
• The Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule is a concern for the cricketers as they are scheduled to leave for South Africa on April 18.

Sources:

• UNI
• HT Syndication with permission from United News of India
• Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company