Former Cricketer Kedar Jadhav Joins BJP In Maharashtra, Lauds Party’s ‘Politics Of Development’
Former cricketer Kedar Jadhav joined the BJP on Tuesday, April 8, in the presence of Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashok Chavan, and other senior leaders.
"I bow down to Chhatrapati Shivaji. Under (PM, Narendra) Modi ji and (Maharashtra) CM (Devendra) Fadnavis. The BJP is doing politics of development. With this said, I under Bawankule enter and join the BJP," Kedar Jadhav said after joining the BJP, India TV reported.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra BJP president Bawankule expressed happiness following the former Indian cricketer's joining the party. "It's a day of happiness for us. In all spheres of life, he has had an impact. I welcome him home. Besides him, several other people have also joined us from Hingoli and Nanded," Bawankule said.
The 40-year-old Kedar Jadhav hails from Pune, Maharashtra. He has played 73 One Day Internationals (ODIs), scoring 1,389 runs at an average of 42.09. In T20 Internationals, he played 9 matches and scored 122 runs. He never got the opportunity to play a Test match. In ODIs, he also took 27 wickets.
In the IPL, Jadhav played for five different teams. He scored 1,208 runs in 95 matches, but his overall performance was considered below expectations. He represented teams like Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals. His IPL career spanned from 2009 to 2023. In 2010, he also played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala, a franchise that is now defunct.
He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on November 16, 2014. His last international match was on February 8, 2020. He played his first T20 International in July 2015, and his last T20 match was in October 2017.
Several Cricketers Venture Into Politics
Before all-rounder Kedar Jadhav, several cricketers have ventured into politics. From Navjot Singh Sidhu in Punjab to Yusuf Pathan and West Bengal’s Sports Minister Manoj Tiwary, many have made successful political transitions. Former Team India opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir also joined the BJP. However, after winning elections in Delhi, he left politics to focus on his career as a coach.
Meanwhile, former cricketer Yusuf Pathan also entered politics by joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Baharampur constituency in West Bengal. He secured a significant victory over senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, winning by a margin of 85,022 votes in what was considered a Congress stronghold.
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