Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir joins BJP

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir joins BJP. The ex-cricketer joins politics just days before the Lok Sabha elections and said he was ’impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision’.

The former opening batsman joined the party in Delhi in the presence of Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

“I am joining this party (BJP) after getting influenced by PM Narendra Modi’s vision. I am honoured to get the opportunity to join this platform,” said the 37-year-old cricketer.

Gautam Gambhir joins BJP

The former cricketer may contest the April-May national election as a BJP candidate from Delhi. The 37-year-old may contest from the prestigious New Delhi constituency, currently held by the party’s Meenakshi Lekhi, sources have said.

At the press conference, Arun Jaitley refused to confirm whether the cricketer would be contesting the upcoming elections.

The former opening batsman played a key role in India’s triumph in the 2011 World Cup and the 2007 T-20 World Cup. He was recently conferred upon the Padma Shri award.

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Meanwhile, the BJP released the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls on Thursday (March 21). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will once again contest Lok Sabha election from Varanasi, the BJP chief Amit Shah will contest from Gandhinagar in Gujarat replacing party veteran LK Advani.

The BJP announced names of 184 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in the first list.