Former Karnataka medium pacer Doddanarsaiah Ganesh joined the Janata Dal (Secular) on Wednesday in the presence of Mohammed Azharuddin, his first captain in the four Tests he played for India.
But it was Azharuddin who’s grabbing all the eyeballs. His sudden interest in the JD(S) and the promise of a Rs 10 crore donation to Ganesh have set tongues wagging as to whether there is more to this than meets the eye.
“Some national parties had invited me after I expressed interest in joining politics while announcing my retirement from the game. But it was “Ajju” bhai who advised me to join the JD(S),” Ganesh said.
“He (Azhar) is like my elder brother… He has promised to give me Rs 10 crore for contesting the election,” Ganesh said. “I am a poor man. I have made name, not money.”
Azharuddin, while wishing his friend good luck, clarified that he has no plans to enter politics. “I request the media not to speculate anything. There is nothing more or nothing less than this,” he said.
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Question No 32 on the Election Commission’s FAQs reads, “What is the limit for expenditure for an Assembly constituency in the bigger States?”
Answer: The limit of election expenditure for an assembly constituency in the bigger states is Rs. 10 lakh. Even if H.D. Deve Gowda magnanimously puts up Ganesh from a Lok Sabha constituecy, the expense limit is Rs 25 lakh.
So is Azhar giving Ganesh Rs 10 crore to fight an election? Or is this advance booking for something else? What?
28 June 2007 at 12:38 pm
dodda narasaiah ganesh was a strret smart cricketer, some forces in the cricket board ended his intnl career prematurely, yet he fashioned some incredible victories for karnataka.
ganesh joining JD s clearly shows the popularity of kumaraswamy amongst the kannadiga youth. they are impressed by his style of functioning, his vision for karnataka.
all the best ganesh
28 June 2007 at 1:53 pm
Yaardho duddu, yaardho jaatre. 10koti yaake, 100 koti aadru aithu!
28 June 2007 at 1:59 pm
by this first statement uttered by ganesh ‘….He has promised to give me Rs 10 crore for contesting the election…’ looks like he needs to go back to his appaji ( DG) and anna ( CM) to get some lessons on political speak
28 June 2007 at 4:30 pm
Just proves the extent of Azhar ill gotten wealth
28 June 2007 at 5:04 pm
Election commission and Income tax department you attentiom please. It seems Secular party has several such sources to climb the ladder of power.
28 June 2007 at 5:06 pm
Election commission and Income tax department your attentiom please. It seems Secular party has several such sources to climb the ladder of power.
30 June 2007 at 3:25 pm
He has taken indian cricket fans for a royal raid once ,its no big deal taking indian public for a ride .All d best
6 July 2007 at 3:02 pm
i say the 10 crore is advance payment for joining SUbhash Chandra’s Indian Cricket League :P
8 July 2007 at 7:47 am
Azhar lost more than 75 crores after match- fixing scandle.right know Azhar assets worth more than 100 crores. so 10 crore giving to Ganesh is nothing to Azhar.other than that azhar is a nice guy too.