In politics, a week is a long time. In politics, the place is contextual. A Baroda-born guy, belonging to a Gujarati family, from a different profession seeks to challenge a five-time MP.
The battle between cricketer Yusuf Pathan and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will be closely contested and keenly watched. Both the contestants flex their political muscles for the constituency of Berhampore.
As the 42-year-old cricketer hopes to replicate his success from the cricketing field to politics, Adhir Chowdhury, the five-time MP, will not be an easy opponent.
Pathan, who gained a firm nod in the world of cricket due to his explosive batting and ability to secure wins for the team single-handedly during his heyday, was born in Baroda to a Gujarati Pathan family and is the elder brother of Irfan Pathan.
During a recent election campaign when questioned about his status as an ‘outsider’ the cricketer replied that while Gujarat is his “janmabhoomi”, West Bengal is his “karmabhoomi.” When asked about contesting Lok Sabha elections by the Congress leader, who is a formidable name in the state politics, Pathan, said, “he has been a five-time MP but times change and change happens for good.”
While launching his Lok Sabha 2024 campaign, Pathan drew parallels between cricket and politics. “The field is very different but the expectations of the people remain the same, which is that I deliver,” he said that he is as excited about Lok Sabha 2024 polls as he was for the 2007 World Cup.
Pathan has had the people of Bengal rooting for him during his seven-year stint with Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team. He has thrown in promises of development for the constituency and a sports academy too, for good measure.
But Pathan’s electoral debut entails a long, arduous test. The ‘outsider’ tag becomes increasingly heavier for contestants as voters become more aware.
It is not just Chowdhury, but the BJP too has taken a dig at his ‘outsider’ status.
“Even PM Modi is from Gujarat but he contests the Varanasi seat,” retorted Pathan about the label.
But it will take more than mere words or clever phrases to convince the voters of West Bengal. Adhir Chowdhury crushed the left and wrestled the constituency from the formidable Revolutionary Socialist Party in 1999 and hasn’t lost ever since.
As a result, the Berhampore constituency has had only 5 MPs belonging to only 2 political parties. Chowdhury didn’t lose the seat even during the peak of the Trinamool Congress wave, as Mamata Banerjee’s TMC has not been able to bag the seat yet, despite ruling Bengal since 2011.
Chowdhury is one of the prominent faces of Congress and one of the most vocal critics of the Narendra Modi government. The BJP too has not been anywhere close to winning the Behrampore constituency.
This year, Pathan in his electoral debut itself, hopes to unsettle it all.
Chowdhury, the 67-year-old Congress state unit chief and sitting MP, has dismissed Pathan. “Politics and cricket are not the same.”.
A constituency that is perhaps the most known for loyalty, has hardly ever had anti-incumbency as a determining factor in elections.
RSP’s Tridib Chaudhary has had a record-setting 7 terms from it and Adhir Chowdhury hopes to break this very record.
His innings started in 1999 when Chowdhury beat Pramothes Mukherjee of RSP. An opponent and a party he was to beat consecutively for the next two elections as well, in 2004 and 2009. In 2014, Chowdhury defeated Indranil Sen of AITC, his only close contestant who was nowhere close at just over 2 lakh votes compared to Chowdhury’s well over 5 lakhs.
Last election, which was in 2019, Chowdhury again proved the anti-incumbency predictions wrong and defeated Apurba Sarkar of AITC, his only close rival.
This year will he be able to maintain the spell or will Pathan break it, remains to be seen. Elections to the Berhampore Lok Sabha seat will be held in the fifth phase on May 13. The results will be declared on June 4.
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