19 May,2016 12:30 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
The results of the 2016 Assembly polls are out! Here's a look at how some of the more prominent sports stars hoping to make successful careers off the sports pitch did in their political exam
The results of the 2016 Assembly polls are out! Here's a look at how some of the more prominent sports stars hoping to make successful careers off the sports pitch did in their political exam
While most of the sports personalities failed to register a win, two of them -- former cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla and former India football skipper Dipendu Biswas -- won from their constituencies.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla, TMC
Former BCCI President late Jagmohan Dalmiya's daughter and TMC candidate Vaishali Dalmiya (right) and former cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla being garlanded after they won the Assembly elections in Howrah district in West Bengal on Thursday. Pic/PTI
The Howrah North seat went to former Bengal cricket captain and TMC candidate Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who beat Congress' Santosh Kumar Pathak and BJP's Rupa Ganguly, television's Draupadi from B.R. Chopra's "Mahabharat". Ganguly got 30,000 votes less than the cricketer-turned-politician, who garnered 61,917 votes. The retired Bengal allrounder, a first-timer in politics, outclassed his nearest rival, Left Front-backed Congress candidate Santosh Pathak by a whopping 26,959 votes. The seat was previously held by Trinamool's Ashok Ghosh, who was dropped before the elections. The 34-year-old was played three ODIs for India in 1999 and retired in December 2015 after scoring 6217 runs and taking 172 wickets from 137 first-class matches.
Bhaichung Bhutia, TMC
Bhaichung Bhutia
Former captain of the Indian football team Bhaichung Bhutia of the Trinamool Congress lost from his constituency of Siliguri to CPI-M's Asok Bhattacharya. The Trinamool Congress candidate came out second best against former state minister by 14,072 votes. The 39-year-old had unsuccessfully campaigned two years ago in the Lok Sabha polls, losing the Darjeeling seat - of which Siliguri is a part - to the BJP's Surinder Singh Ahluwalia by almost two lakh votes.
Sasthi Duley, BJP
Former international footballer Sasthi Duley lost in Dhanekhali constituency to Pradip Majumdar of the All India Forward Bloc. The diminutive former East Bengal midfielder best remembered for his cameo in the 2003 ASEAN Cup final,
Syed Rahim Nabi, TMC
The former East Bengal and Mohun Bagan and current Mumbai FC star, who had taken a sudden break from football midway into the season to pursue his dreams in the political arena, lost from his hometown of Pandua. Amjad Hossain of CPI-M edged past the former footballer by 1,392 votes only. Nabi grabbed 90,097 as compared to Hossain's 91,489.
Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, CPI-M
A former Asian Games gold medallist runner and former Member of Parliament, CPI-M's Jyotirmoyee Sikdar lost to TMC's Firdousi Begum from Sonarpur North constituency in South 24-Parganas district. The Arjuna award winning athlete lost to the sitting lawmaker by 24,880 votes. Previously, she had been the CPM's MP from Krishnagar. Sikdar won two gold medals in atletics at the 1998 Asian Games.
Dipendu Biswas, TMC
Dipendu Biswas is another former footballer contesting this election on the TMC's ticket. He received 88,085 Votes to defeat BJP's only MLA in the state, Shamik Bhattacharjee at Basirhat South constituency -- an area bordering Bangladesh. Biswas, a former Indian captain, had lost the by-poll in 2014 from the same constituency when the margin of loss was less than 2,000 votes. The former striker garnered 88,085 votes, 24,058 more than that of second-placed Bhattacharya. The prolific striker has played for East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting in the past.
Sreesanth, BJP
BJP's Thiruvananthapuram central candidate S Sreesanth at the party headquarters after poll results were announced in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Pic/PTI
Tainted cricketer Sreesanth, who also contested in the BJP ticket from Thiruvananthapuram, bit the dust in the polls. He lost to the sitting Congress MLA V.S. Sivakumar. Sreesanth was banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India after fixing allegations. He last played in the 2013 Indian Premier League. He was arrested on charge of match-fixing and was lodged in Tihar Jail in Delhi. In July 2015, a Patiala House court in Delhi exonerated him and two other players in the case, against which Delhi Police have gone in appeal. Sreesanth has played 27 Tests (87 wickets), 53 ODIs (75) and 10 T20Is (seven wickets) and was part of two World Cup winning teams, in the 2007 World Twenty20 and the 2011 World Cup.
