Sachin Tendulkar all set to be recognized as national icon by Election Commission

Legendary former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is all set to be recognized as a national icon by the Election Commission of India (EC). The 50-year-old will be felicitated by the prestigious honour as he is always encouraging greater voter participation in the electoral process.

Furthermore, with his recognition, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between Tendulkar and the poll panel on Wednesday, August 23. As part of the three-year agreement, the former Indian batter will be spreading voting awareness across the country ahead of the upcoming elections. 

Through the partnership with Tendulkar, who has had a huge impact on the country’s youth, the EC aims to address the country’s youth’s apathy towards voting and hopes for a positive impact from Tendulkar as their national icon. 

Over the years, the EC has had many national icons support the voting cause. In 2022, Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi was recognized as the EC’s national icon. Furthermore, Aamir Khan, former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, and Mary Kom were the national icons for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. 

With Tendulkar’s recognition, the EC released a statement saying that they hope that the collaboration with Tendulkar will have an unparalleled impact on the country’s youth. 

"This collaboration would mark a significant step towards leveraging Tendulkar's unparalleled impact with the youth for increasing voters’ participation in the forthcoming elections, especially in general elections (to Lok Sabha), 2024," the EC said in a statement.

Regarded as one of the greatest of all time, Tendulkar has left behind a legacy beyond comparison. Notching up a record of 100 centuries, Tendulkar’s impact on the country’s youth was something never seen before. 

It is worth noting that the 50-year-old played 664 international matches for India across formats and amassed 34,357 runs to his name. Furthermore, he was also a part of India’s legendary 2011 World Cup-winning squad. Seeing his influence in the community, the EC making him the national icon would most definitely bear positive fruit.