Ex-Cricketer Gautam Gambhir Joins BJP, Says “Influenced By PM’s Vision”
ENDING speculation, former Delhi based cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday Joined Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and other functionaries.
BJP President Amit Shah welcomed Gautam Gambhir to the saffron party ahead of Lok Sabha poll commencing in seven phases across the country from April 11 to May 19.
“It is a significant induction,” said Arun Jaitley, one of the two union ministers who addressed a press conference to make the announcement.”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,” Gautam Gambhir, 37, said.NDTV says, the former cricketer may contest the Lok Sabha poll as a BJP candidate from Delhi. The party is considering him for the prestigious New Delhi constituency, currently held by the party’s Meenakshi Lekhi, a lawyer turned politician. The former India’s national cricketer and opener and also captain of KKR and Delhi, Gautam Gambhir was recently awarded the Padma Shri. He was a high-profile campaigner for Arun Jaitley’s 2014 contest in Punjab’s Amritsar. Arun Jaitley lost the election to Congress’s Amarinder Singh, now Chief Minister of Punjab. He runs a community kitchen, besides appearing as a commentator. His views posted on social related to national affairs are akin to those of BJP’s political lines.