Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s elder brother Narendra has joined the BJP. Will the acclaimed cricketer jump from the pitch to politics?


We are familiar with the astounding achievements of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Mahi). He has undoubtedly carved a niche for himself in international cricket and has all the essential materials for making a good political leader. But it is his elder brother Narendra Singh Dhoni who took to the political foray first. The elder Dhoni has recently joined Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Jharkhand.


The media has given him immense coverage and people of Ranchi welcomed him with open arms. For BJP leaders in Jharkhand, it’s a great initiation and after Narendra, it is very likely that the accomplished cricketer may join politics in the near future. It is not only his big brother, but many others who believe that MS Dhoni has the spark to make it big in politics. The Dhoni family are die-hard supporters of the BJP since long.

Now, the question arises whether cricket stars are really inspired by our politicians and have an inclination towards politics or is it the other way round? On this, Narendra gave a politically correct answer, “Whether my brother will join politics or not will be purely his decision. All I know is that he will always be my supporter. We share a very cordial relation and he always supports my decisions. My family knows that football is my first love. But I watch cricket just because of my younger brother’s rise to the pinnacle of Indian cricket. Similarly, it applies to my brother also. We understand each other’s priorities.”  

Keen on contesting assembly elections, the 37-year-old says, “I am basically a business minded person and have spent most of my time in Almorah, Uttarakhand. A few months ago while I was looking after the newly constructed house of my younger brother in Ranchi, people used to tell me that I should also do something valuable like him. That’s when I thought of joining politics.” Inspired by the ideology of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, he says, “I am impressed by his style of working. His achievements have inspired me to take the plunge in politics. I would have joined the BJP the day Narendra Modi came to town campaigning for Ram Tahal Choudhary. Unfortunately, I fell sick and was confined to bed. Now it is up to the senior party leaders whether they want me to contest elections or not? If they feel that I can really do something valuable for my state, they will definitely show me a path. I find BJP as the perfect platform from where I can work for the people and for my state.”

Interestingly, rumours started brewing that Mahi too will join politics soon. While the Indian skipper is busy fighting it out in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his team Chennai Super Kings (CSK), people in Ranchi already seem to be excited to see their favourite cricketer on the political block. As a result, a major tussle is on between various political parties. According to sources, Mahi will join his friend Sudesh Mahto, whereas a few people are speculating that he will join the BJP.

However, says one of the reliable sources, “Mahi is known for his close proximity with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) chief and former state home minister Sudesh Mahto. A year ago, Mahi was here to attend the naming ceremony of Mahto’s newly born son. His name, Sejal was given by Mahi only.” But Mahi’s secret political preference has been made public by his elder brother who claims that Mahi has been a BJP supporter since 1991 and is just maintaining his friendship with Mahto.


So, are we soon going to see MS Dhoni as a star campaigner for the BJP? “Again, it all depends on his availability in India. We shouldn’t forget that he is a busy man, and at present he might be too preoccupied with cricket to give a consideration to this. If he agrees then it will be a great initiation for all of us,” adds Narendra.

Says Raghubar Das, BJP president, Jharkhand, “Who doesn’t want to see MS Dhoni in the world of politics? Let Dhoni return from South Africa and we will ask him to be a star campaigner for our party. He is a youth icon and it will be easier for us to attract the younger generation to vote for the BJP. With his support, we can take our sports from Jharkhand to the international level. We are investing Rs 5,000 crore to take our sports to the international platform.”

 Similarly, says Arjun Munda, ex-CM of Jharkhand, “NS Dhoni and his family are die-hard supporters of the BJP. His father Pan Singh was also a party worker. So, it won’t be surprising if tomorrow MS Dhoni shows an interest in joining the party. We can’t ignore the fact that he is the one who has given recognition to Jharkhand. He is a hugely popular figure in the state.”

Back to history, we have many examples of Indian cricketers joining politics after quitting international cricket. Starting from Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in 1971, quite a few have entered the fray at different points in time, but the trend seems to have caught on only in recent years when many cricketers have thrown their hats into the political ring. It has become a common scenario in India where one can find political parties (national as well as regional) wooing cricket stars to attract the voters.

This practice gains momentum when elections are round the corner. And the latest to join the bandwagon is the former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin. Recently, Ganguly’s wife Dona had mentioned that her husband had been approached by the Samajwadi Party. Successful cricketers have never made successful politicians, with the transition from pitch to parliament eluding almost everyone who has tried. This might make it hard for them to go asking the same adoring fans to vote, with folded hands.

But in the case of MS Dhoni, things seem to be little pragmatic. He loves to take challenges and in the past also, he has proved cricket critics wrong.

And now with his elder brother in the political bandwagon, he too may decide to join BJP. Very soon, we will get to know what political fate awaits him. Till then, let your imagination go wild pondering what colour Dhoni would look better in—pristine white or a fierce orange. And as for the elder brother, we wish him the best of luck! <<


*Courtesy: Society