Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who casted his vote alongside his family members, has expressed to serve the country after announcing retirement from the international cricket.
While talking to the media gathering in Jalandhar, Harbhajan stated Punjab needed a government which would focus on the development, job creation and empower youths in the state.
“To serve the state, it is not mandatory to join politics. The state can be served through various ways. Now, I am playing cricket. When I will be free, I will consider serving the state,” Harbhajan said.
At the pooling booth number 23, Harbhajan casted his vote with his mother Avtar Kaur.
For the 117 Assembly seats of Punjab, reports suggested around 75 per cent voters exercised their franchise. Over 1,145 candidates were in the fray.
“We need a government which will think more about youths, bring jobs for them and take the state forward,” Harbhajan added.
The Punjab-born off-spin product made his international debut in 1998 against Australia.
“The government should resolve grievances of the people promptly,” Harbhajan concluded.
Harbhajan has bagged 417 wickets in 103 Tests followed by 269 wickets in 236 One-day Internationals. The spin artistry has bagged 25 wickets in 28 Twenty20 games.
In March 2016, he last appeared in T20I game against United Arab Emirates at Dhaka.
Since making his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2008 for Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan has played 125 matches, in which he has picked 119 wickets at an average of 26.21.