Pitted against Adhir Chowdhury on the Congress stalwart’s home turf, Trinamul candidate Yusuf Pathan does not consider himself an outsider in the poll stakes.

And dare call him an outsider in terms of geography, he steps out as aggressively as he used to in his Team India days.

“I don’t think I’m an outsider here in Behrampore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is from Gujarat and contests from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi also contests from Kerala (Wayanad). Then what’s the problem with me contesting from here?” the 41-year-old said in Hindi on Thursday.

Pathan said: “The fact is, I am an Indian. While my birthplace is Gujarat, Murshidabad will be my workplace.”

On Thursday, the former cricketer addressed his maiden political rally before about 6,000 people, who waited more than two hours to see him up close.

The “outsider” barb he was reacting to had come from Adhir, a five-time Congress MP, a couple of days ago. The Murshidabad strongman said he was fighting two “BJP” candidates — one from Bengal and another from Gujarat.

Adhir, nominated officially on Thursday evening, has been claiming that Trinamul’s nomination of Pathan is a move to defeat him and help the BJP win Behrampore.

Trinamul has also fielded Kirti Azad, former cricketer and member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, who represented Delhi in domestic cricket. Azad is contesting from the Burdwan-Durgapur seat.

Pathan was a member of two World Cup-winning teams, triumphing at the T20 tournament in 2007 and the 50-over version in 2011.

The Opposition has been attacking Trinamul over its nomination of “outsiders” — like Pathan and Azad — a charge Bengal’s ruling party had used successfully against the BJP in the 2021 Assembly polls.

“I can contest from anywhere in the country but this is my home (Bengal) and I have come here to stay,” Pathan, who helped the Kolkata Knight Riders win the IPL in 2014, said.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly recently suggested that fighting Adhir from Behrampore was like facing the Australian fast bowler Brett Lee. Asked about the comparison, Pathan said he always enjoyed competing against tough opposition.

“We will certainly give a good fight. We always witness a good fight in India-Australia cricket matches,” he said.

But will his inability to speak Bengali not be a handicap? Pathan seemed unfazed, signing off with: “Joy Bangla, khela hobe.”

Many of those at the rally, held at Textile More in Behrampore town, sounded excited about Pathan.

“I had seen Yusuf Pathan from far away during an IPL match in Calcutta. I waited for around three hours today to see him from up close and try and snap a selfie with him,” said Abdul Aziz, a 30-year-old resident of Domkal, 40km from Berhampore.

“But getting a selfie was not possible because of the huge crowd,” he added, his disappointment evident.

Azad too began his campaign from his constituency on Thursday, going around Durgapur town on a bicycle, accompanied by rural development and panchayat minister Pradip Majumder and other party colleagues.

He also visited a local market to buy vegetables, fish and fruits. Like Pathan, he spoke Hindi.

Trinamul Congress candidate for the Burdwan-Durgapur parliamentary constituency, Kirti Azad, alongwith minister Pradip Majumder and other party leaders, launches his campaign riding a bicycle in Durgapur on Thursday. Picture by Dipika Sarkar

Azad had arrived in Durgapur on Wednesday with his wife Poonam. He will divide his time between Durgapur and Burdwan town, staying in rented accommodation at both places.

Azad, who had been both MP and MLA in the BJP, left the party with Shatrughan Sinha in 2019 over differences with the Narendra Modi government. He joined the Congress before switching over to Trinamul in 2021 and becoming the party’s minder for Goa in 2022.

Sinha is Trinamul candidate from Asansol.

The BJP is yet to announce a candidate from Burdwan-Durgapur, a seat it won in 2019.

Asked how he would campaign with none of the Opposition parties having announced their candidate from his seat yet, Azad swatted the question away.

“When there is a player and captain like the tigress Mamata Banerjee on one side, the condition of the opponents can be easily understood. The last time (2021 Assembly polls) they (the BJP) set themselves a target of 200 seats but were all out below 100,” he said.

“I have come here to strengthen the hands of Mamata Banerjee and win your hearts. As of now, I have to buy vegetables, fish and fruits so that my wife can prepare food,” Azad told people sitting at a tea stall.