Legendary cricketer Virender Sehwag, who earned the moniker of ‘Sultan of Multan’ for his batting heroics in Pakistan in 2004, has publicly endorsed Anirudh Chaudhary, a Congress candidate for Haryana’s Tosham constituency.
This is being seen as Sehwag’s endorsement of the Congress party in the Haryana assembly elections. Voting for the 90-seat assembly is currently underway, and the results will be declared on October 8.
There is no disputing that Sehwag remains immensely popular, nearly 10 years after announcing his retirement from all formats of cricket.
His effortless and fearless batting often led to him being compared with his idol, Sachin Tendulkar. Sehwag became the first Indian to score a triple century, when he accumulated 309 runs against Pakistan in the Multan test in 2004 in a dazzling display of raw talent and controlled aggression. India went on to win that Multan test against its arch rival Pakistan, and Sehwag was named the Man of the Match.
Therefore, there are several issues at play, and Sehwag’s endorsement can at best help the Congress at the margins. Caste factor will remain a key factor, and the Jats’ dominance fuels resentment even within the Congress party. For instance, Kumari Selja, a dalit leader of the Congress party, does not see eye to eye with the powerful Satrap Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
