In October 2021, tennis legend Leander Paes took the Trinamool Congress (TMC) flag from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Goa. The Trinamool Congress had decided to contest elections in Goa following its landslide victory in its home state of West Bengal.
Under the guidance of then Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) chief Prashant Kishor, the TMC attempted to break into Congress’ space in Goa, onboarded a few big faces, but stumbled at the end, leaving behind its hopes of “expanding its national footprint.” However, this was not the first time Paes had made a foray into politics. He had joined the TMC in 2014 but did not pursue active politics then.
Five years later, Paes officially joined the BJP in New Delhi. “It’s a big day of my life. I want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Nitin Nabin. I have been given the opportunity by the BJP to serve the people and youth of this country. BJP membership is a responsibility on me,” he said at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
Renowned tennis player Leander Paes joins BJP in the presence of senior BJP leaders in New Delhi. #JoinBJP pic.twitter.com/z7LQz3VFC4
— BJP (@BJP4India) March 31, 2026
Born in Kolkata, Paes lives in Goa, where his father Vece Paes comes from. While Leander’s father was part of the Munich Olympics bronze‑winning hockey team in 1972, his mother, Jennifer Paes, captained India’s women’s basketball team.
Paes became a national hero in 1996 when he won the bronze medal in men’s singles tennis at the Atlanta Olympics. Along with a legendary Davis Cup career, Leander has won 18 Grand Slam titles, including the US Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open and the French Open.
While he has received national honours such as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, in 2024, Leander made his way into the International Tennis Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievements, alongside Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“According to me, the Khelo India Movement was a game‑changer. Kiren Rijiju was the sports minister under whose guidance this movement was ushered in. India won seven medals at the Tokyo Olympics right after. I want to focus on youth. We have 745 million youth in this country. We need to build a future for them,” Leander said.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said Leander Paes’ entry into the BJP was historic, noting that the tennis legend needed no introduction and was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s work for sports and athletes.
“There is no need for a separate introduction of the legendary Leander Paes. Across India, there is no need to explain who Leander Paes is. Even so, today Leander Paes’s entry into the BJP family is historic. Inspired by the work Prime Minister Modi has done for sports and athletes over the past 12 years, Leander Paes has joined our party as a BJP member,” Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said.
When he had joined the TMC in Goa, Paes had praised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said it was she who had encouraged him to pursue tennis. But as he took the flag of the TMC’s arch‑rival, the BJP, he outlined his fresh vision for sports infrastructure in the country.
“We do not have even a single indoor tennis court in the country, but we can work on that and make a change in sports and sports education. I want an equal pay grade system in India for boys and girls. I want to bring empowerment for every boy and girl. It’s a responsibility that I have after joining the BJP,” he said.
All eyes are now on his new political innings as he joins the BJP, with West Bengal going to polls in a few weeks and the Goa Assembly elections scheduled for next year.
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