Former Indian cricketer Gautham Gambhir has joined the Bharatiya Janta Party and is likely to contest for a seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On his decision to join politics the 37-year-old cricketer had stated that ”I am impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision… I have contributed to the field of cricket and now hope to do more for the country.”
Inducting the former cricketer into the party, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that Gambhir has excelled in his career and the party hopes to utilize his talent. The BJP will benefit from his talent.” There was earlier speculation that Gambhir would enter politics but he had rubbished the speculation and stated that he wanted to spend time with his family.
The former opening batsman recently received the Padma Shri award, and also a congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His performances in the finals of the 2007 T20 World Cup final against Pakistan and the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka helped India win both the titles. And Gambhir, in the process, went on to acquire something of a cult status among Indian fans.
