Indian Tennis Legend Leander Paes Joins Bharatiya Janata Party Ahead of West Bengal Elections

New Delhi, Dec 31: India's tennis legend Leander Paes joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. The 51-year-old joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections in West Bengal. Paes joined the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in 2021. He even campaigned for the TMC during the Goa elections in 2022. He was the face of Indian tennis for 3 decades. He scripted history by winning the bronze medal in the men's singles event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. With this achievement, India's medal hopes in individual events at the Olympics came to an end. He has 18 Grand Slam titles to his name. He has won 8 Grand Slams in men's doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. He may even complete a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. The Indian Davis Cup team, represented by him, had many memorable victories against higher-ranked teams. After his retirement from tennis, he was elected as the President of the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA) and the All India Tennis Association (AITA).