Kirti Azad is a former Indian cricketer and politician who played 7 Tests and 25 One-Day Internationals for the Indian cricket team between 1980 and 1986. He is the son of Bhagwat Jha Azad, a senior member of the Indian National Congress and former Chief Minister of Bihar. Azad is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC).
Wiki/Biography
Kirti Azad was born on Friday, January 2, 1959 (current age 65, 2024) in Darbhanga, Bihar. His full name is Kirtivardhan Bhagwat Jha Azad. His star sign is Capricorn. Azad completed his primary education from Delhi Modern School and also played for the school cricket team. In 1981, he completed his BA (Hons) in History from the prestigious St. Stephens College, Delhi University. The all-rounder played 7 Test matches and 25 ODI matches for India between 1980 and 1986. He was also a part of the Indian cricket team that won the ODI Cricket World Cup in 1983. The 34-year-old Azad entered politics in 1993 by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while playing in the Ranji Trophy. In 2015, the BJP suspended him from the party for his involvement in anti-party activities. Later, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in February 2019.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 11″
Hair color: gray and white
Eye color: Black
Family and caste
Kirti Azad was born into a Hindu family.
Parents and siblings
His father, Bhagwat Jha Azad, was a six-time Lok Sabha MP from Bhagalpur and a former chief minister of Bihar. He died in 2011 after a long illness.
Bhagwat J Azad
His mother, Smt. Indira Jha Azad, died in 2009. His brother, Dr. Rajvardhan Azad, was the chief professor of ophthalmology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and served as the chairman of the revived Bihar University Service Commission.
Dr. Rajvardhan Jha Azad, former ophthalmologist at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Wife and children
Kirti’s husband Poonam Azad was a politician of AAP and is currently a member of the Indian National Congress (INC).
Kirti Azad and his wife Poonam Azad at their youngest son’s wedding
His wife contested from Delhi’s Sangam Vihar constituency in the 2020 assembly elections but lost.
Kirti Azad and his wife Poonam Azad during the election campaign
His younger son Somya Vardhan is a businessman while elder son Surya Vardhan works for a multinational company in Singapore. Both his sons played cricket for Delhi team in their youth.
Cricket career
All-rounder Kirti Azad is an attacking right-handed batsman and off-spinner.
An old photo of Kirti Azad
In the 1980/81 season, he was selected for the first time in the national team, traveling to Australia and New Zealand. In December 1980, he made his ODI debut against Australia in the 1980/81 Benson & Hedges World Series Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Unfortunately, he scored only 4 runs in that match. In the same year, he made his Test cricket debut in Wellington against New Zealand. He scored 20 runs in both innings, as India lost the match by 62 runs. In the 1981/82 season, England traveled to India, and he played in the first three Tests of the 6-match series. However, he scored a total of 71 runs in 4 innings and was therefore dropped from the Indian team. He was then selected for the historic 1983 Cricket World Cup.
Kirti Azad with the 1983 Cricket World Cup trophy
His international career included 7 Test matches and 25 One-Day Internationals. Despite his lack of success in the international arena, Kirti Azad remained a mainstay of Delhi cricket. In 95 Ranji matches, he scored 4867 runs at an average of 47.72. He also took 162 wickets at an average of 28.91.
Political career
Kirti Azad entered politics in 1993 and joined the BJP. He served as the MP from Delhi Gorra Market constituency from 1993 to 1998. In 1999, he was elected as the MP from Darbhanga, Bihar, on behalf of the BJP. In 2009, he was again elected as the MP from Darbhanga. Between 2009 and 2014, he also served as a member of the House Committee, a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, a member of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, a member of the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Security, a member of the Khadi and Village Industries Corporation, and a member of the Advisory Committee on Youth Affairs and Sports. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he again won the Bihar Darbhanga MP seat.
Kirti Azad with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
On December 23, 2015, he was suspended by the BJP for anti-party activities. On February 18, 2019, Azad joined the Indian National Congress (INC).
Indian National Congress (INC) President Rahul Gandhi welcomes Kirti Azad to join his party
He contested the Dhanbad Lok Sabha constituency for the Indian National Congress in the 2019 general election against BJP candidate Pashupathi Nath Singh. However, he lost by a huge margin of 4.8 lakh votes. He contested the Lok Sabha in the Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency in West Bengal in the 2024 election and defeated BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh by a margin of 1,37,981 votes.
dispute
In India, it is impossible for a politician to stay out of controversies. Here are some of the controversies Kirti Azad has been involved in:
- He had alleged rampant financial corruption in the functioning of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) from 2011 to 2015. He accused his own BJP party member Arun Jaitley, who served as DDCA president for 14 years, of active involvement in the scam. As a BJP member, he had also raised the same issue in the Lok Sabha.
He was suspended by the BJP for anti-party activities in December 2015. After his suspension, the former cricketer said, “I filed a Rs 400 crore scam case against the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) and provided relevant documents to support his claims, but I was ‘betrayed’ by the party.”
He was suspended by the BJP for anti-party activities in December 2015. After his suspension, the former cricketer said, “I filed a Rs 400 crore scam case against the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) and provided relevant documents to support his claims, but I was ‘betrayed’ by the party.”- In February 2019, just three days after joining the Indian National Congress, Azad claimed that Congress members had robbed his and his father’s polling booths during elections in the 80s and 90s. He later realized his mistake and apologized, saying:
I’m sorry. I said that in the heat of the moment, in a heated mood, trying to boost the morale of the congressional staff. I meant to talk about booth management, but I got carried away.”
Criminal Cases
Kirti Azad has four criminal cases pending against her and faces a total of twelve charges.
net worth
According to the notification of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kirti Azad’s net worth is Rs 8,40,26,755.
Facts/Trivia
- It is said that many cricket experts believe that Azad made it to the Indian cricket team because his father, Bhagwat Jha Azad, was a Union Minister and Chief Minister of Bihar at the time.
- The 1983 Cricket World Cup holds a special place in Kirti’s heart.
- Kirti Azad starred in the 2019 released Hindi film Kirket.
- In an interview with Lalantop newspaper, Azad explained that when he joined the BJP and became an MP, his father (a senior Congress MP) had asked him to leave home within three months.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education