From the grass of the Maidan to the Trinamool of Mamata, there was talk late last year of Baichung Bhutia joining Bengal’s ruling party. Earlier this week, the rumor was confirmed. Amidst the chaos in the hills, the former Indian football captain will be the Trinamool Congress’ candidate from Darjeeling. If he wins, the ‘Sikkimese sniper’ will be one of the few sportsmen in Parliament, a list dominated by cricketers. Among the incumbents is Navjot Singh Sidhu, having entered the Lok Sabha in 2004 on a BJP ticket. There is also Kirti Azad, part of India’s 1983 World Cup winning team, who, in 1999 was elected to parliament on a BJP ticket from Darbhanga, Bihar and is currently serving his second term in the Lok Sabha. And in 2009, former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin joined the Congress party in 2009 and went on to win a Lok Sabha seat from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Unelected, but no less popular, Sachin Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2012 for his contribution to cricket. His attendance has been shoddy, although that could change now that he’s hung up his boots and pad (and the famously uncomfortable groin guard). Of course, the one thing common between all these men is that they once played cricket. But there are, as we’ve discovered, other Indian sportsmen and women who could (and should) run for elections.

Vishwanathan Anand

Vishy (as he`s called when the newspapers run out of space) has all the credentials to win Chennai South. A five time World Chess Champion, six Chess Oscars, a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and a Padma Vibhushan, the man has outwitted some seriously cerebral opponents.

All he`s dealing with in Chennai South is the AIADMK’s Chitlapakkam C. Rajendran, a lawyer by training. His unflappable hairstyle, unchanging eyewear and an affinity for simple dressing should be useful. The only question being: How good is Vishys Tamil after having lived for all those years in a far-flung corner of Spain?

MC Mary Kom

Five-time World Boxing champion Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom is used to a good fight, and she usually comes out on top. Despite the chaotic nature of Manipuri politics, it`s fairly unlikely that anyone will be able to trump the Olympic medalist who remains hugely popular in the state.

It helps that Manipur only has two Lok Sabha seats, with one reserved for Scheduled Tribes.As a member of the 14,000-strong Kom tribe, Mary qualifies. Not that she needs it, especially with a biopic starring Priyanka Chopra in the works this year.