Sportsmen joining politics is nothing new in India. Continuing with that trend is cricketer Praveen Kumar. The medium pacer has joined Samajwadi Party ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Reuters
Known to be bully on the field in domestic circuit, Praveen said he’s a newbie when it comes to politics. “I have met CM and decided to join the party. I will do whatever is possible for the party,” he told reporters after meeting the CM, who is also state president of SP.
Asked whether he would contest the state assembly polls, Kumar said, “I am a kid in this field. As of now I will try to learn it (politics).”
ibnlive.in
Praveen, who hails from Meerut, said that UP CM Akhilesh Yadav has done a lot for sportsmen and big stadiums are under construction at Lucknow and Saifai.
The 29-year-old currently plays domestically for the state team and has a contract with the Gujarat Lions in the IPL. He has picked 27 wickets in 6 Tests and 77 wickets from 68 ODIs.
Reuters
Praveen, who is remembered for his swing bowling that worked wonders for India during the historic Commonwealth Bank ODI series win in Australia in 2008, is the second prominent cricketer who has thrown his hat in the ring of politics recently after Mohammad Kaif. Kaif stood on a Congress ticket from Phulpur during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but lost miserably. He went back to playing domestic cricket though.
Will Praveen’s political career be better or will he meet the same fate as Kaif?