The former 2011 Cricket World Cup winner successfully ventured into his country's politics and was elected in West Bengal as a member of the alliance opposing Narendra Damodardas Modi who has been India's Prime Minister since 26 May 2014.

Pathan, who played 79 times for his country, was a member of the Indian team that won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, although he did not play in the final against Sri Lanka.

Born on 17 November 1982 in Vadodara, India, Yusuf Pathan secured 37.9% of the vote (524,516 votes) for his political party, the All India Trinamool Congress, ahead of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who had to settle for 31.7% of the vote (439,494 votes).

The former Indian Premier League cricket player has thus made his way into the Trinamool Congress by a considerable margin. After his victory, he did not hide his joy and gratitude: "I am grateful to have won from Baharampur. This success is for the people of Baharampur, the dedicated party workers and leaders. I thank Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for their support. Together we will take forward the development of Baharampur.

The immense popularity of cricket in South Asia makes the sport's top talents some of the region's biggest celebrities, some of whom, like Pathan, have parlayed their fame into political careers.

Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar, who still holds the record for most runs in a Test, took a seat in parliament in 2012, months before announcing his retirement.

Another case of the most glorious cricketers ending up in politics is that of Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup and had a tumultuous tenure as his country's prime minister before being ousted in 2022.

In addition to this sporting celebrity, India's elections saw several outsiders, including a jailed Sikh separatist, a Bollywood actress and other figures outside traditional politics, according to official results released on Tuesday.