Bengal Election 2026: Tennis legend Leander Paes enters BJP, leaves Didi and now starts new political innings with Kamal

News India Live, Digital Desk: Just before the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, there has been a big explosion in the politics of the state. Leander Paes, one of India’s greatest tennis players and Olympic medalist, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (31 March 2026). He took membership of the party in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and West Bengal BJP President Sukant Majumdar at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. Paes’s entry into BJP is being considered a big psychological blow for Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC). The pitch of politics is not new for Paes, the BJP leader who left TMC. In the year 2021, he joined TMC in the presence of Mamata Banerjee before the Goa elections. However, he was not active in TMC for some time. Now after the battle cry of Bengal elections, he has changed sides and joined BJP. After joining the party, Paes said, “Today is a big day in my life. I have come to BJP inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the work done in the field of sports in the last 12 years. My mother is Bengali and it will be a matter of pride for me to serve Bengal.” Kiren Rijiju said ‘historic day’ Welcoming Leander Paes, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that this is a historic moment for BJP. He reminded that Paes had won an Olympic medal for the country at a time when India was barely visible in the medal list. Rijiju said that now Leander Paes will serve the country and the people of Bengal from the platform of BJP. Political experts believe that Paes’s arrival will help BJP increase its penetration in urban areas and among the youth. Will Leander Paes be a candidate in the Bengal elections? After Leander Paes joining BJP, the biggest discussion now is whether he will contest from any seat in Bengal? According to sources, BJP may field him from an important urban seat in Kolkata or he will be used as a ‘star campaigner’ across the state. Celebrities have always had a big influence in Bengal politics, and a big face like Leander Paes has the ability to influence the election results.