Indian tennis icon Leander Paes formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, 31 March, in a development that carries considerable weight ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections. Paes joined the BJP, in the presence of Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sukanta Majumdar.
After joining BJP, Leander Paes thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“I want to thank PM Modi, Amit Shah ji and Nitin Nabin. The way BJP family has nurtured me and given me the opportunity. Kiren Rijiju is someone whom I consider my hero and look up to. We have a big opportunity to serve the youth. This party membership slip is not just a slip but a responsibility to serve the nation”, he said.
Leander Paes Kehlo further said, “I played for the country for 40 years, now it’s time to serve the youth. Kehlo India Movement and TOPS scheme are really great. I know with how much passion Kiren Rijijiu ji has worked towards our contingent’s performance in the Tokyo Olympics. He fulfilled his responsibility given to him by the PM. 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 program for equal opportunity scholarship for women empowerment in India…”
The former Davis Cup stalwart, Leander Paes was inducted into the party in the presence of senior BJP leadership Kiren Rijiju, Sukanta aumdar. The move had been widely anticipated following Paes’s recent meeting with BJP state president Nitin Nabin in Kolkata.
The timing is notable. Paes is no stranger to party politics, having previously aligned himself with the Trinamool Congress in 2021. He went on to campaign actively for the TMC during the Goa assembly elections in 2022, though he did not himself contest a seat. His decision to now cross over to the BJP represents a clean break from that association and a pointed signal to Bengal’s electorate as the state braces for a fiercely contested political battle.
Whether, the former tennis star Leander Paes will contest the upcoming high-stakes West Bengal Assembly elections remains to be seen.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tennis legend Leander Paes joining BJP said, “Leander Paes’ entry into the BJP family today is historic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed sports and athletes over the past 12 years.”
“This is a moment to celebrate as the iconic Leander Paes has joined BJP. I clearly foresee that you will play a bigger innings on the BJP platform. Your joining the BJP will ensure that the Khelo India movement gains further momentum.” Rijiju added.
Emphasising the significance of the athlete’s lineage during the joining ceremony, Union Minister Sukant Majumdar remarked, “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…Leander Paes is the direct descendant of the renowned 19th-century Bengali poet and dramatist, Michael Madhusudan Dutt.”
Few figures in Indian sport carry the weight of legacy that Leander Paes does. His contribution to tennis in the country extends far beyond trophies and titles — he is widely credited with bringing the sport to a mainstream Indian audience at a time when it remained largely the preserve of a privileged few.
The honours he has accumulated over a distinguished career reflect the depth of that contribution. In 1990, he received the Arjuna Award, one of India’s most prestigious sporting recognitions. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna followed in 1996-97, the highest accolade the Indian government bestows upon its athletes. The civilian honours came next — the Padma Shri in 2001, and then, in January 2014, the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian distinction, a recognition that placed him firmly in the pantheon of the nation’s most celebrated public figures.
