In a high-profile political crossover, Indian tennis legend Leander Paes officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. The induction took place in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar. This move comes just a week after Paes’s private meeting with BJP leader Nitin Nabin in Kolkata, which had already sparked widespread speculation about his defection.

Paes had previously entered the political arena in 2021 by joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Goa. However, ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, his decision to switch sides is being viewed as a strategic masterstroke by the BJP to attract urban voters and youth icons. As one of India’s most celebrated Olympians, Paes’s entry into the BJP is expected to boost the party’s campaign momentum in Bengal.