Harbhajan set to enter league of sportspersons who have served in RS

After he submitted his nomination, Harbhajan Singh told the media his focus will be on promoting sports and improving sports-related infrastructure

Former Indian cricketer and Aam Aadmi Party’s nominee Harbhajan Singh is set to enter an exclusive league of sportspersons who have also served the Upper House of Indian Parliament. He will follow in the footsteps of two other famous cricketers, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Sachin Tendulkar.

Harbhajan will follow in the footsteps of two other famous cricketers, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Sachin Tendulkar (ANI)

By the time he gets elected from Punjab, Singh will be the sole representative of sports in the Rajya Sabha with boxing icon MC Mary Kom set to retire next month. Sidhu, who was the chief of the Congress party’s Punjab unit that lost to AAP in the state, as well as Tendulkar -- a Bharat Ratna awardee -- were nominated members of the Rajya Sabha.

Apart from Tendulkar, who tried to deliver his maiden speech towards the end of his term, other sportspersons were active in the House by participating in debates and posing questions to the government during the Question Hour. After he submitted his nomination, Singh told the media his focus will be on promoting sports and improving sports-related infrastructure.

The Lok Sabha too, has seen several sportspersons, including sitting TMC MP Prasun Banerjee, the first national-level footballer to enter Parliament, and former international cricketer Gautam Gambhir who is a BJP MP from East Delhi.

While the Lok Sabha has largely been the preserve of full-time politicians, Rajya Sabha has had a more diverse presence.

Among its members have been authors, such as Khushwant Singh and RK Narayan; Bollywood legends, such as Prithviraj Kapoor and Javed Akhtar; and scientists like Satyen Bose.