NEW DELHI: Having ruled the 22-yard pitch with the highest runs in international cricket, master batsman and Bharat Ratna awardee Sachin Tendulkar will now pitch for higher voter turnout, particularly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, by signing up as the 'national icon' for the Election Commission.A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed on Wednesday between EC, represented by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, and Tendulkar, who had also been a nominated member of Rajya Sabha.

As per terms of the MoU, the cricketer will push EC's endeavour to raise voter awareness and educate the electorate about the value and significance of each vote in nurturing a vibrant democracy."This collaboration would mark a significant step towards leveraging Tendulkar's unparalleled impact with the youth demographic for increasing voters' participation in the forthcoming elections, especially in General Elections 2024.

ECI, through this partnership, aims to bridge the gap between citizens, especially youth and urban populations and the electoral process, thereby trying to address the challenges of urban and youth apathy," said a statement of the poll body on Tuesday.While Sachin has several records to his credit on the cricket field, his performance as a nominated MP in Rajya Sabha from 2012 to 2018 was questioned by many.

He clocked poor attendance, having turned up for just 8% of the days during his term.

He did not participate in any parliamentary debate and asked 22 questions through his six-year term.

However, he did spend his MPLADS funds well, on causes ranging from flood relief in J-K and Tamil Nadu to rebuilding schools in Uttarakhand and Maharashtra and construction of public toilets in Mumbai.

He had also adopted a village in Andhra Pradesh under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.EC partners with renowned Indians from various fields and designates them as its national icons to motivate voters for participation in the elections.

Last year, the Commission recognised actor Pankaj Tripathi as its 'national icon'.

In the last Lok Sabha election in 2019, the poll panel had signed up stalwarts like former Indian skipper M S Dhoni, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and Olympic medallist Mary Kom as its national icons.