In pictures: Is Sourav Ganguly ready to step on to the political pitch?

Speculation mounts as 'Dada' meets West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar

Published: December 28, 2020 18:20 Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor

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Rohan Jaitley (left), son of the late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart and now Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President, presents a portrait of his father to Union Home Minister Amit Shah as Jaitley's statue towers over them at the erstwhile Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium. Sourav Ganguly, former Indian captain and President of Indian cricket board, Anurag Thakur, a former BCCI President and Minister of State, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and number of leading Indian cricketers were present at the unveiling of Jaitley's statue at the Kotla, which has been rechristened after Arun Jaitley's name. The latter was a President of DDCA for 14 years. Image Credit: ANI

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The re-naming of the Kotla saw a rare voice of protest in Bishan Singh Bedi, former Indian skipper and legendary left-arm spinner. Protesting against associating a cricket administrator's name with the stadium, who in Bedi's words, ''had brought down cricketing values in the capital hugely to say the least,'' Bedi wanted the DDCA to remove his name from stand dedicated to him all these years. Ganguly (left), Rohan Jaitley, cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan at the unveiling ceremony of the statue. Image Credit: PTI

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Amit Shah (left) and Sourav Ganguly greet each other during the inauguration of Jaitley's statue. A traditional Indian greeting as it is, the photo will surely assume significance in the current political climate where the former Indian captain's name is doing the rounds as a potential chief ministerial face of BJP in next year's assembly elections in West Bengal. Image Credit: ANI

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A poignant moment as Rohan Jaitley (left) hands over a statuette of his late father to Jay Shah (right), secretary of BCCI. Amit Shah and Sourav Ganguly look on. Image Credit: ANI

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A day earlier, Ganguly fired up speculation on his political moves when he met Jagdeep Dhankar, the Governor of West Bengal, at the latter's residence Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Sunday. ''It was a courtesy call,'' Ganguly told hordes of mediapersons after a reported two-hour chat with the Governor and said that he would be visiting Eden Gardens one of these days. While Ganguly requested the media not to 'speculate' on his visit, the fact that Dhankar had been a bitter critic of the functioning of the present state government run by Mamata Banerjee has set the tongues wagging. Image Credit: Twitter

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Sourav Ganguly, regarded as a cultural icon of sorts in West Bengal, during his meeting with the state's Governor Jagdeep Dhankar. The latter tweeted photos of his visit. Image Credit: Twitter

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