For a victory lap in north Bengal, Trinamool fields ex-cricketer, athlete

An Asian Games golden medal-winning jock and a erstwhile first-class cricketer who represented Bengal successful the Ranji Trophy are the Trinamool Congress candidates taking connected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominees successful northbound Bengal.

Swapna Barman, the archetypal Indian heptathlete to triumph an Asian Games golden successful 2018 is the Trinamool campaigner from Rajganj Assembly spot successful the State’s Jalpaiguri district. On Monday, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) authorities formally accepted her resignation and issued her a clearance missive to contention the West Bengal polls.

The celebrated athlete, who joined the ruling enactment weeks earlier the polls connected February 27, 2026, has travel to realise that sports and authorities are antithetic disciplines.

“Sports is simply a precise antithetic tract and cannot beryllium compared with politics. In sports, idiosyncratic dedication and hard enactment matters and brings success. In politics, everything is babelike connected the volition of the people,” Ms. Barman told The Hindu. The 29-year-old, who hails from Jalpaiguri, is promising that if elected, she volition effort and acceptable up a sports academy successful her constituency. “I privation galore Swapna Barmans to look from North Bengal,” she said.

The athlete, who has won aggregate medals astatine nationalist and planetary events, suffered a idiosyncratic calamity erstwhile her begetter Panchanan Barman died recently. Often seen posing with beverage plot workers, Ms. Barman describes herself arsenic “the section girl who does not request an introduction” and who has been sent by Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee.

Hailing from the Rajbangshi community, Ms. Barman grew up successful Jalpaiguri and won galore laurels, including the prestigious Arjuna Award. “The radical successful my constituency are precise simple, they conscionable privation bid and development. I volition strive for that,” she said.

The jock is contesting against BJP’s Dinesh Sarkar, who has links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The CPI(M) has fielded Kharendranath Roy from the country dotted by beverage gardens.

About 150 km from Rajganj is the Tufanganj Assembly spot successful the Cooch Behar district, wherever erstwhile first-class cricketer Shib Sankar Paul is the predetermination fray connected a Trinamool ticket. The 46-year-old was a right-arm accelerated bowler and had represented the Bengal cricket squad for respective years. He joined the Trinamool connected March 16, a time earlier the enactment announced candidates for the polls.

“I hole for canvass campaigns similar I utilized to hole for a match. I exercise, past I bash my homework astir the spot I americium visiting,” said the erstwhile cricketer who was besides included successful India’s Test squad during the 2004–05 bid against Australia.

Mr. Paul says that some cricket and authorities bash not travel easy to anyone. “Playing cricket is precise difficult, nary 1 tin accidental they volition get these galore runs oregon wickets. Same mode authorities is besides difficult... But I consciousness blessed that I tin scope radical and recognize their problems,” helium said.

The erstwhile bowler says than erstwhile helium was playing oregon coaching, helium could assistance lone a fistful of people, but aft joining Trinamool and contesting polls, helium hopes that helium tin travel to the assistance of the masses. He is contesting against BJP’s two-term MLA Malati Rava Roy who has served arsenic a territory president of the party. The CPI(M) has fielded Dhananjay Rava.

In the past, the Trinamool has fielded respective candidates from the Bengali tv and movie industry, but this clip the enactment has pinned hopes connected sportspersons to revive its prospects successful northbound Bengal.