Tennis legend Leander Paes formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. He was inducted into
the party in the presence of Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sukanta Majumdar.
After joining the party, the tennis icon thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him the chance to “serve the youth of the country.” Paes said the moment was significant in his life and also expressed gratitude to Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President Nitin Nabin for the opportunity.
“Today is a big day in my life. I want to thank PM Modi, Amit Shah ji and Nitin Nabin ji for giving me this opportunity. This is a great opportunity for me to serve the youth of the country,” he said.
He described his entry into the party not just as a formal membership but as a major responsibility to serve the nation. Recalling his roots, Paes noted that he was born in West Bengal and has a connection with Bengali heritage.
“I was born in Bengal…My mother is from a Bengali heritage…There was not much infrastructure there back then when I was growing up,” he added.
Paes had recently met Nitin Nabin, in Kolkata, sparking speculation about his possible entry into the BJP. Paes had earlier joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2021 and campaigned for the party during the 2022 Goa Assembly elections, although he did not contest the polls himself.
