Cricketer Rinku Singh engaged to Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj in Lucknow

Lucknow: Indian cricketer Rinku Singh got engaged to Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj on Sunday in Lucknow with their wedding date locked in for November 18 at the Taj Hotel in Varanasi.

Besides the families of Rinku and Priya, several prominent leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Jaya Bachchan along with Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, attended the ceremony.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla was also present at the ceremony to extend his best wishes to the couple. However, several of Rinku’s teammates couldn’t make it to his engagement celebration, as the Indian Test squad has already departed for England ahead of the Test series starting June 20.

Former India cricketer Praveen Kumar was in attendance and extended his heartfelt wishes to the couple on their special day.

Rinku, hailing from Aligarh, has played two ODIs and 33 T20Is for India in the last couple of years and is an important member of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, who lifted the title in the 2024 season. The 26-year-old Priya is a first-time MP from Jaunpur’s Machhlishahr constituency.

Priya, a practising advocate, is known for her legal acumen and youthful energy. She is among India’s youngest MPs. Hailing from Karkhiyaon village in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, she has continued her father’s legacy with her career in politics.

Her father, Tufani Saroj, is a three-time MP and current MLA from UP’s Kerakat. Priya began her career as a politician in 2024 after she was elected as the MP of Machhlishahr after defeating BJP veteran BP Saroj by over 35,000 votes.

Priya’s uncle, Bhagwati Charan Saroj, shared that both families and the couple is very happy. “She became the youngest Member of Parliament with a record-breaking victory. Rinku Singh, too, is a well-known cricketer with a strong following. This match has come together with the blessings and consent of both families and everyone is truly happy about it,” he said.

IANS