Tendulkar fourth cricketer now in parliament

New Delhi, June 4: Sachin Tendulkar, who took oath as a Rajya Sabha member Monday, is the fourth international cricketer now in the Indian parliament.

But unlike him, the other three are in the Lok Sabha: Mohammed Azharuddin (Moradabad), Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar) and Kirti Azad (Darbhanga).

Tendulkar is the first cricketer to enter parliament while still playing the game.

Tendulkar and Azharuddin are both former India captains. While Azharuddin is in the Congress, Sidhu and Azad are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Former India opener Chetan Chauhan was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Amroha on BJP ticket.

Among the cricketers who contested elections but lost are Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Manoj Prabhakar.