Yusuf Pathan, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from West Bengal's Berhampore seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, thanked TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister, and noted how people's representatives must work to ‘uplift the poor and deprived.’
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“I'm eternally grateful to @MamataOfficial for welcoming me into the TMC family and trusting me with the responsibility to become people's voice in the Parliament. As representatives of the people, it is our duty to uplift the poor and deprived, and that is what I hope to achieve,” Pathan posted on X (formerly Twitter) hours after Sunday's announcement by the party.
The 41-year-old former cricketer, who is from Gujarat, is likely to face Congress heavyweight Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has held the Berhampore seat since 1999. Pathan, who represented India in 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is between September 2007 and March 2012, was also a member of the Indian team that lifted the 50-over World Cup on home soil in April 2011.
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{{/usCountry}}The 41-year-old former cricketer, who is from Gujarat, is likely to face Congress heavyweight Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has held the Berhampore seat since 1999. Pathan, who represented India in 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is between September 2007 and March 2012, was also a member of the Indian team that lifted the 50-over World Cup on home soil in April 2011.
Also Read: TMC fields Yusuf Pathan from Mamata Banerjee-critic Adhir Chowdhury's seat
{{/usCountry}}Also, his West Bengal connection stems from playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise based in the state's capital city, Kolkata. He played for KKR from 2011 to 2017, winning the competition in 2012 and 2014.
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Meanwhile, his younger brother Irfan, who also represented the country in the sport, commented on the former's political foray.
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“Your patience, kindness, help to the needy and service to people even without an official position can be easily noticed. I am confident that once you step into a political role, you will truly make a difference in the daily lives of people,” Irfan Pathan wrote on X.
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West Bengal sends as many as 42 members to the 543-seat Lok Sabha. This is the highest representation after Uttar Pradesh (80) and Maharashtra (48).