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Former Cricketer Gautam Gambhir Joins BJP, Says Inspired By Modi's Vision

Union Minister Arun Jaitley called it a "very important induction into the party".
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday in the presence of Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Gambhir said he is joining the party after getting influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. “I have done everything in cricket and now this is a very good platform to do something for the country,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.

Calling it a “very important induction” into the party, Jaitley said that the BJP tries to induct people who have achieved excellence in their respective fields.

The cricketer is likely to contest elections from one of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, according to Hindustan Times.

Gambhir played a key role in India’s triumph in the 2011 World Cup and the 2007 T-20 World Cup.

He was recently conferred with the Padma Shri award.

(With PTI inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.