Live Updates : Will Sourav Ganguly Begin His Political Innings ?
December 14, 2013 :
Bengal's Leading Daily ABP Broke the News First that Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has been offered a ticket to contest the general elections next year by the BJP but is undecided on whether to accept the offer.
It is learnt that the offer has come from the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, who has promised to make the Bengal sports icon the sports minister in the Cabinet if the party comes to power.
"Yes, I've an offer. But I'm still undecided on what to do. I've been busy for last few days... I'll let you know soon," Ganguly was quoted as saying in a leading Bengali daily.
AnandBazar Patrika's Cover Story : Read Here
WB's BJP President Confirms the News :
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said here on Saturday that it has offered ticket to former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly for the 2014 general elections. He has been asked to choose his seat in West Bengal.
“Yes, we have recently approached Mr. Ganguly with an offer to contest the upcoming polls from any seat of his choice in West Bengal. He did not say yes but said that he needs some time to think over the issue,” president of the State unit of the BJP Rahul Sinha said.
December 15, 2013 :
Media Reports Suggest Ganguly Had Declined Offer :
Sourav Ganguly was at the Wankhade on the 14th ( Also Check Pics of Dada at Wankhade on 14th Dec ) and a Section of the Media Reported Saying that Ganguly Had Declined the Offer. Speaking to the media at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, Ganguly shrugged off the offer saying his place was not in the assembly, “I have told them my job is on the field”.
Asked if he would be open to a Rajya Sabha seat, Ganguly merely shook his head.
After BJP, Congress Wooes Sourav Ganguly :
After BJP, it's the turn of Congress to woo former Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Within days of Ganguly himself indicating that he had spoken to BJP's Bengal in charge and Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi in New Delhi, PCC president Pradip Bhattacharya went to Ganguly's Behala residence on Sunday morning. Though the discussion was kept under wraps, the timing of Bhattacharya's visit set political circles abuzz with speculation.
Bhattacharya, a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, said: "I have known Sourav Ganguly for long. This was a courtesy visit." Asked specifically if Congress was trying to get the former captain on board, he said: "We have not talked about it."
"The meeting does not carry any significant meaning, contrary to what is being reported. What he will do is his decision. I have not given any kind of proposal (to him) regarding politics. It was a private meeting," Bhattacharya said.
CPI(M) on BJP/Congress Wooing Dada :
The CPI(M) on Sunday ruled out the possibility of Sourav Ganguly joining the BJP or the Congress.
Replying to questions, after a CPI(M) rally here, Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury claimed that the former Indian cricket captain had the support of the Left Front and that he was unlikely to lean towards any other party.
The BJP had approached Mr Ganguly, making him an offer to contest any seat of his choice in West Bengal in the 2014 general election.
Bengal BJP President Clears Air Again :
Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha, however, played with a straight bat. "Varunji had offered Sourav our party’s nomination for the next year’s polls and we want him to be with usSourav neither said yes nor no to the proposal. He said he will think and then decide on whether to fight the elections or not.”
“Our central leaders are in touch with Sourav and we are optimistic that things will shape up in the coming days,” he added.Sinha, also the party's national executive member, said.
Sourav Ganguly at an Event in Kolkata Says He Hasn't Decided Yet :
The man in the middle chose to keep the speculation alive. "Yes, I have got it. I have not decided anything," PTI quoted Ganguly as saying on the sidelines of an event in Kolkata on Sunday. Only a day before, one of India's finest cricket brains had said, "Yes... it is a big decision to make. I have to sort out many things."
AAP's Take :
" Not Bothered of Sourav Ganguly joining or not joining BJP " - AAP
December 16, 2013 :
Dada Speaks to the Telegraph, Clears Air :
Sourav Ganguly Speaking to the Telegraph Said, " Yes, the BJP has given an offer to me to contest the next Lok Sabha polls. I met Varun Gandhi (the BJP national general secretary and party’s central minder for Bengal) in Delhi. But I have not given a thought to it. It’s a serious matter for me and I will have to ponder over it before taking a decision”.
Senior Congress leaders from Delhi More than Happy to Welcome Dada :
Senior Congress leaders from Delhi made it clear that Ganguly is “most welcome if he wants to associate (himself) with the party, believing in its ideals”.
“Ganguly was an outstanding cricketer who is internationally known. So, if he wants to associate himself with our ideals, he is most welcome,” Congress Working Committee member and AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said.
State Panchayat Minister on Ganguly :
"The Congress is now a spent force in the entire country, leave alone Bengal. I believe Sunday's meeting has eroded Ganguly's popularity and appeal," state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said.
December 17, 2013 :
Trinamool Congress leader Refuses to Comment :
A senior Trinamool Congress leader on Monday refused to comment on whether the party would make a similar overture to former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who has already been offered a ticket by the BJP to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"No comments", TMC general secretary Mukul Roy told PTI in Kolkata on Monday, responding to a question in this regard.
" We Are Not in a Hurry " Says Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha :
On Ganguly’s selection, Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha told Business Standard that the party was ready to wait for the master cricketer to make his decision. “We are not in any hurry. We want to cash in on the Modi wave by inducting Ganguly in our team,” he said.
Will Congress’s Rajya Sabha seat appeal more to Sourav Ganguly?
The suspense over Sourav Ganguly joining politics is growing. Already the former Indian cricket captain has an offer from the BJP to contest in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Now the Congress is trying to upstage the BJP by offering Dada a Rajya Sabha seat.
Now, fighting an election isn't a walk in the park. Even if it's Dada, who is extremely popular in Kolkata, it requires a lot of hard work and preparedness to accept the uncertainty about the outcome. A Rajya Sabha seat is much more assured and can be a tempting alternative to the hurly-burly of an election.
That's precisely why there's speculation about Ganguly being baited with a RS seat.
This is one of the most important decisions in my life: Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly, cricketing icon in Bengal, has been offered a nomination for the coming Lok Sabha elections by the Bharatiya Janata Party. He tells Digbijay Mishra of Business Standard deciding whether to accept this would be one of the most important in his life. Edited excerpts:
Have you decided on the BJP offer?
They have approached me but I am yet to decide. This is one of the most important decisions in my life, so I’m keeping many things in mind.
Baichung Bhutia and your former colleague, Anil Kumble, are also reportedly in the race for a ticket in the 2014 elections. Why are sportsmen so much in demand for this?
I think this is good. There is no harm if sportsmen are being considered for a major role in politics.
Have you set a timeline to decide?
No. As I said, this is quite important, and I am considering all possibilities.
Say you went on to become the country’s sports minister. What would be your top priority?
(smiles) There are many things I would like to do for sports in the country.
But, as I said earlier, I am yet to make a final decision.
December 18, 2013 :
No Comments on Politics Says Ganguly:
Amid growing speculation about beginning a new innings in politics, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who has been made an offer by the BJP to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, today said he would not comment 'anything on politics'.
Told that there seemed to be scramble among political parties to rope him in to contest the Lok Sabha polls with even a proposal to make him the future sports minister which was similar to efforts made to get cricketers into the IPL, he said "I hope that in future I will be able to participate in IPL. What I have said is that I don't want to make any comment on politics."
Jan 16, 2014 :
Sourav Ganguly on Thursday put a lid on speculations about him contesting Lok Sabha elections, saying he would not join politics.
"I am not in politics. I am a man of sports," he said.
"It is confirmed," Ganguly told reporters after a visit to state secretariat, Nabanna.
.jpg)
