Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has been announced by the Aam Aadmi Party as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. With this, the Indian spinner, popularly known as Bhajji, has now entered politics after cricket.
However, Harbhajan is not the first cricketer who has decided to contest elections after retiring from cricket.
Before him, there have been seven other cricketers who tried their luck in this. Some of them became ministers after winning and some were disappointed. However, let us know about those cricketers who entered the field of politics.
1. Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian cricketer and World Cup-winning player Gautam Gambhir stepped into politics after he retired from cricket. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019 and became an MP from East Delhi.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin:
Former India captain and star cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin entered politics in 2009 and caught the hand of the Congress party. One of the successful captains of India, Azharuddin contested the Lok Sabha elections and became an MP from Moradabad.
3. Navjot Singh Sidhu:
Navjot Singh Sidhu, one of the famous cricketers of India, left his mark in cricket as well as politics. He entered politics in 2004 and joined BJP. He won the Lok Sabha elections twice. Sidhu joined the Congress party in 2017 and then contested and won from Amritsar. However, he had to face defeat in the Punjab elections this time.
4. Manoj Tiwari:
Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwari has not yet announced his retirement from cricket, but now he has started a political inning. Manoj, 36, joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 and contested the Bengal Assembly elections from Sibpur in Howrah and won. He was made the Sports Minister of the state by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
5. Kirti Azad
Former Indian cricketer and World Cup-winning player Kirti Azad have also left his mark in politics. He joined BJP here and became MLA from Gol Market Vidhan Sabha of Delhi. After this, he contested and won the Parliamentary elections from Darbhanga in 2014.
6. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Former Indian captain and great cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi also tried his luck in politics but he was disappointed here. He contested the Lok Sabha elections twice on a Congress ticket from different places but lost from both places.