Azhar set to begin new innings with Congress

Political parties’ star parade has begun. Days after SP showcased Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt as the latest addition to its glamour quotient, the Congress appears set to rope in former India cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections later in the year.

On the cricket field, Azza was a sight for the gods in his prime, scoring 6,215 runs in 99 Tests and 9,378 in the one-dayers. 

He met Sonia Gandhi some days ago and is now waiting to hear from the Congress leadership. “I had a very pleasant and fruitful meeting with her,” Azhar told DNA from Hyderabad.

The cricketer has a big fan-following even now and the Congress believes he will be an asset in the coming elections. “He was a tremendous player and brought joy to millions of cricket-lovers, we would love to have him,” AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said. Minister for labour Oscar Fernandes confirmed reports of Azhar joining the party, saying, “Yes, the process is very much on.”

On Tuesday, the Congress also admitted Karnataka BJP MPs Manorama Madhwaraj (Udupi), HT Sangliana (Bangalore North), and  Manjunath Kunnur (Dharwad). All three had voted in favour of the Manmohan Singh government during the vote of confidence last July. The party was, however, tight-lipped on whether it would field them in the next general elections.