NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party on Friday, leaving a panel to decide whether to field him as a candidate in the cricket-crazy country’s upcoming general election. With 9 million followers on Twitter, Gambhir could give Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) some extra pulling-power in the campaign for an election which will run from April 11 till May 23. “I am joining this party influenced by our prime minister, his vision,” Gambhir, 37, told reporters after being inducted into the party by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The BJP has many other celebrities, mainly actors, in its ranks including cabinet minister Smriti Z. Irani, MP Kirron Kher and Delhi party chief Manoj Tiwari. Since the attack, Gambhir has urged India to forfeit matches against Pakistan in the next World Cup staring end-May.

Source: Pakistan Today March 22, 2019 09:11 UTC