Chennai: While tinsel town heroes who turned to politics are a dime a dozen in Tamil Nadu, sportspersons taking a political plunge is a rare occurrence.
S. Srinivason would be embarking on a trailblasing journey as the former Ranji cricketer is the first sportsperson in the history of Tamil Nadu politics to be in the fray for a Lok Sabha seat.
The 49-year-old has been announced as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for the North Chennai constituency.
Srinivason, who takes on heavyweights T.G. Venkatesh Babu (ADMK) and R. Girirajan (DMK), is however no stranger to elections having competed against N. Srinivasan’s camp in the TNCA polls.
“I joined AAP on December 23, 2013, the day it made its entry into Tamil Nadu. I have been an admirer of Arvind Kejriwal’s ideology. I have always voiced my opinions against corruption in Indian cricket,” said Srinivason who has played 12 first-class matches and five List A games representing TN, Railways and Central Zone.
Srinivason had to sacrifice his Railway job to pursue his political ambitions as he can’t file nomination as an employee of a state owned enterprise.
“I had 11 years of service left before I took voluntary retirement on March 26. I felt the time was ripe to get into politics and it was not a gamble because I don’t have any financial burden,” he added.
Being a sportsperson, Srinivason’s propaganda will focus mainly on improving infrastructure for athletes. “Sportspersons from North Chennai are naturally talented. Football, boxing, volleyball and basketball are a rage in the area. My aim is to get a world-class cycling velodrome and a swimming pool,” he said.
