Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has joined Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). This move comes days before the general elections to be held in the country from the next month. There were speculations of the cricketer wishing to join politics and now, it has come true.

“I have been influenced by the PM, his vision for the country. This is a fabulous platform for me to do something for the country. I have contributed to the field of cricket and now hope to do more for the country” said Gautam Gambhir.

Gautam Gambhir Joined BJP in the presence of Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

There are several candidates yet to be announced by the party. Gambhir might contest the election as a BJP candidate from Delhi. However, it’s not been announced officially yet about his role in the party. “Leave the decision to the party’s election committee”, said Arun Jaitley.

“I have got a young family and I need to think about them as well because I have hardly spent any time with them. I do not want to miss their early days and let us see where I go from here,” said Gambhir as quoted by Hindustan Times.

The former opener had recently received the Padma Shri award, India’s fourth highest civilian honour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent him a congratulatory letter on the achievement.

Gambhir had recently announced his retirement from international cricket as well as domestic cricket after a 15-year long career. He played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is for the country. His most significant contributions came in the finals of the 2007 World T20 and the 2001 ODI World Cup. Since his retirement, he has been commenting on several issues in the country using his social media reach. He can be an influential candidate in Indian politics for his popularity.

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