Former Tennis Player Leander Paes Joins BJP Ahead Of West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026

New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, renowned former tennis player Leander Paes on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sukanta Majumdar at the BJP headquarters in the national capital.

How will Leander Paes's joining help BJP?

The winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, Leander Paes will campaign for the BJP in West Bengal. Paes, who  was previously with the TMC, joined BJP before the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.

Paes joining the party could also attract young people and send a positive message to youth and sports fans. An increase in youth voting could benefit the BJP. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Former ace Tennis star Leander Paes joins the BJP, in the presence of Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sukanta Majumdar. pic.twitter.com/qIDW1OovWz

— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2026

When is the election?

Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled for two phases. The first phase will be held on April 23 and the second on April 29. Elections will be held for 294 seats in both phases. 

Following this, the new government will be announced on May 4. 

Who is Leander Paes? 

Leander Paes is one of the country's greatest tennis players and a world icon in tennis doubles. He is an Olympic medal winner and has also achieved a historic feat of being the only tennis player to have competed in seven Olympic Games.

Which players have joined BJP?

Before Leander Paes, numerous athletes from various sports field have joined the BJP. Some of these athletes have contested elections, some have become ministers and some have even become Rajya Sabha MPs. 

Ravindra Jadeja joined the BJP in 2024. He is a member of the BJP but does not currently hold an elective office.

Shooting star Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore joined the BJP around 2004 and is a former Union Minister. Badminton player Saina Nehwal also joined the BJP in 2020 and is also currently a member of the party.

Apart from this, Babita Phogat, Kirti Azad, Chetan Chauhan, Kedar Jadhav, S. Sreesanth, Kalyan Chaubey, Arindam Bhattacharya and Vijender Singh have also taken membership of BJP. 

Former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was also formerly with the BJP but later left the party. Ravindra Jadeja's wife, Rivaba Jadeja, is already a BJP MLA in Gujarat.