Hyderabad: Former cricketer and Congress leader Mohammed Azharuddin on Sunday said he is keen to contest the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat in 2019.
The former Indian cricket captain, however, says he will leave the decision to the party leadership and will abide by its decision. He said his reason for not contesting from his home state earlier was because he was not the sort of person who likes to play safe.
He added that a lot of his well-wishers and supporters have advised him to stand for the Secunderabad Lok Sabha seat this time.
“I have conveyed my feelings to the party and the leaders in charge of the state. At the end of the day, the party is the supreme power. I am not the captain here; if I were the captain, I would have chosen the constituency right away,” the 55-year-old cricketer-turned-politician told PTI on Sunday.
On his chances of winning from Secunderabad, Mr Azharuddin said he does not think of winning and losing as he is motivated by the opinion of the people.
“I want to work for the people in Secunderabad. I have worked very hard in the constituency, but I don’t believe in publicity,” he said.
He said he joined the Congress because “it is a secular party. Also, I had great respect for Mr Rajiv Gandhi”.
Mr Azharuddin may not be keen to contest from the Old City because it is a MIM bastion and his chances of winning the seat are remote.
