Donning cream-colored trousers, a matching t-shirt and a sports cap, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan stepped into the political ground on Thursday, to campaign for 'bade bhai' Yusuf Pathan, who is contesting on a TMC ticket from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency -- Congress heavyweight Adhir Rajan Chowdhury's bastion.
While Yusuf Pathan has been campaigning aggressively in the constituency after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) sprung a surprise by bringing in the former India all-rounder from Gujarat to challenge Chowdhury, a seemingly overwhelmed 'chote bhai' Irfan Pathan could not help but reminisce Team India's 2017 World Cup win, after witnessing a massive crowd in the roadshow.
Amid the fan frenzy, when questioned about Yusuf Pathan's new role as a politician, Irfan said, "My brother will return double the amount of love he is receiving today... I have come here to support my brother. He should win and work for the people. When my brother wins, I will also come here to see his work. He meets the people here and tries to understand the problems people are facing."
However, during the brief media interaction, when one of the journalists threw a political bouncer at Irfan and questioned if Yusuf would be able to dethrone Adhir, or if the Congress leader would hit a six by winning the seat for the sixth time, the former cricketer calmly dodged the ball and asserted, he's come to support his brother and wishes for his victory.
Irfan, who is likely to campaign for brother and TMC candidate Yusuf Pathan in various districts in coming days, expressed gratitude to supporters and urged voters to show their support for his brother by exercising their right to vote and ensuring Yusuf's victory.
Notably, while the TMC has never won the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency, local party leaders appeared to be taking heart from Chowdhury's declining vote share, which has dipped by over 11 per cent since the 2009 general elections.