New Delhi: Veteran tennis player Leander Paes joined the BJP Tuesday, weeks ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections.
The veteran tennis player had, earlier this month, met BJP president Nitin Nabin in Kolkata. He joined the BJP at the party headquarters in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, and former West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar.
Majumdar said Paes, a “direct descendant of the renowned 19th-century Bengali poet and dramatist, Michael Madhusudan Dutt”, will be big boost for the party.
“I welcome tennis icon Leander Paes to the BJP. Today is a great day for us. He inspires Bengal youth with his tennis. For the upcoming polls, he will boost our party. There is a clear indication that there is a wave of saffron now,” he said.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju applauded Paes’ contributions and termed his induction as “historic”.
The tennis icon thanked PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president Nitin Nabin in his address.“I have joined the party with a clear motive of working towards the youth, education and particularly sports education,” he said. He also applauded Rijiju’s contributions as former Union Minister of youth affairs and sports, working with passion for the Indian contingent during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Sharing his vision for India, Paes said he wants India to do well not just in the area of sports but in related fields such as sports education, infrastructure and medicine.
“Today, India is the youngest nation in the world. We should focus on sports education in the next 20-25 years. In 1986, in West Bengal, there was not much sports infrastructure. Even today, there is no indoor tennis court in the country. Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar can do better, but we need to focus on inspiring and empowering youth in sports education…My dream is to bring a programme for equal opportunity scholarship for women empowerment in India.”
Mentioning the fact that India may host the 2036 Olympics, Paes said he wants the nation to “ have such a commendable infrastructure around sports that India as host country bags (more) medals in the event”.
Rijiju while praising Paes for his achievements especially mentioned the 1996 Barcelona Olympics, where he secured a bronze medal in men’s singles. “India’s name rarely appeared on the medal tally. It was Leander Paes who, for the first time, put India on the Olympic map. Now, he will serve the nation through the platform of the BJP.”
The minister expressed hope that Paes joining the party would bring about a new sports culture and help the Khelo India movement gain momentum.
This is not the tennis icon’s first foray into politics. In 2021, he had joined Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). The following year, he had campaigned for the party in the Goa assembly elections, making use of his paternal connection to the state.
In an interview, he had said, “Tennis has taken me away travelling for so many years, serving the country across grand slams and things but now that i come back to live in Goa and I feel like the first step for me is about gaining knowledge. I have spent many days in Goa seeing where the difference can be made and I see a huge opportunity if given the right vehicle.”
As the induction makes headlines, TMC labelled Paes as ‘Bohiragato’, a term prominently used by them to target BJP leaders from outside the state. ‘Congratulations! You’ve finally found your next Goa Chief Minister candidate’, the party wrote on X.
.@Leander has officially joined @BJP4India.
Congratulations! You’ve finally found your next Goa Chief Minister candidate.
Yet another BOHIRAGOTO parachuted into our state by BJP 🙄 pic.twitter.com/mk0BpW6m1E
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 31, 2026
West Bengal votes next month.
(Edited by Niyati Kothiyal)
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