Sports and politics have a long-standing relationship, with many athletes transitioning from their careers on the field to roles in Parliament and the electoral arena after retirement. Throughout history, numerous sports personalities have successfully ventured into politics once their athletic careers have concluded. With Vinesh Phogat’s recent victory in the Haryana Assembly election, she will now serve as an MLA, embarking on a new journey in politics. Let us look at other sports personalities who have turned politician.
List of sportspersons turned into Politics
| Name | Sport | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Vinesh Phogat | Wrestling | Member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly |
| Yusuf Pathan | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Kirti Azad | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Prasun Banerjee | Football | Member of Parliament |
| Chetan Chauhan | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo | Shooting | Member of Parliament |
| Gautam Gambhir | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Mary Kom | Boxing | Member of Parliament |
| Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Aslam Sher Khan | Field Hockey | Member of Parliament |
| Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji | Cricket | Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly |
| Jaipal Singh Munda | Field Hockey | member of the Constituent Assembly |
| Wangnia Pongte | Football | Member of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly |
| Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting | Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports |
| Laxmi Ratan Shukla | Cricket | Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly |
| Navjot Singh Sidhu | Cricket | Member of Parliament |
| Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics | Member of Parliament |
| Karni Singh | Shooting | Member of Parliament |
| Pargat Singh | Field Hockey | Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly |
| Dilip Tirkey | Field Hockey | Member of Parliament |
Athletes who have ventured in politics
Gautam Gambhir, the two-time World Cup-winning betters achieved victory in the 2019 general election. He had announced that he will not be running in the 2024 general election to concentrate on his current cricket commitments. He is the head coach of Indian Cricket team.
Navjot Singh Sidhu has excelled in every field he has pursued. The former Indian opening batsman,who has played 51 Test matches and 136 ODIs, entered politics in 2004 as a BJP candidate from Amritsar, winning the election successfully.
The Olympic silver medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore entered politics in 2013, winning Jaipur Rural in 2014 and serving as Minister for Sports and Broadcasting.
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