The 46-year-old, who led India to a then record 14 test wins, was made a member of the ruling Congress party just a few weeks before the general elections.

“I’ve always been a fan of the Congress party,” Azharuddin told a party news conference. “I always believed it is the only party that made so many sacrifices.”

Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily brushed aside Azhar’s ban from cricket.

“There is no criminal case against Azhar,” he said. “If there is a case at all, then it is between the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and him, which has been filed by Azhar himself against the ban.

“He served Indian cricket for 16 years with distinction and was one of the best captains.”

Azharuddin made a Test record by scoring centuries in his first three Tests, playing 99 matches and scoring 22 hundreds.

He also played 334 one-dayers, aggregating 9,378 runs.

There was no announcement whether the former player would contest elections, which are expected to take place in April or May.