The veteran Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir’s name is once again being linked with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the recent reports have suggested that he is looking to join the party for contesting in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from his home state. However, another surprising name which is being linked with the BJP is of former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. As per reports, BJP is in talks with Dhoni to contest the elections from Jharkhand.

Gambhir who last played for India in November 2016, recently led Delhi to the Vijaya Hazare Trophy 2018 final only to lose against Mumbai. Gambhir and his men had to settle with a runners-up spot. While the cricketer is yet to announce his retirement from competitive cricket, Gautam has been touted to enter the political arena quite a few times especially because of his awareness of the happenings in the country and also because of his massive fan following across the nation.

As per a report in The Sunday Guardian, the BJP is likely to replace Meenakshi Lekhi, who is a Member of Parliament from Delhi with Gambhir. The report also suggested that party insiders are not happy with the feedback about Lekhi’s work and want to rope in the veteran batsman as their star campaigner for the 2019 elections.

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As quoted in the Sunday Guardian, a senior BJP leader said, “Reports from the ground about Meenakshi Lekhi are not good. People from her constituency are not happy with her work and the party leadership has decided that she will not be repeated this time as a candidate from New Delhi. Gautam Gambhir, in most likelihood, will be the party’s candidate from the same seat. He has wide acceptability and is known for his social work. He is a Delhiite and will do his best for the people of Delhi.”

The report further claims that the party is also looking to convince Dhoni for the 2019 elections. BJP wants to capitalize on the tremendous fan following of the two cricketers and let them campaign for the party throughout the nation.

Talking about the same, the BJP leader said, “Both players have wide acceptability, respect, and credibility across the country and are regarded as leaders by all sections of society. They are not only leaders from their respective states but also leaders of the country. Dhoni is currently the captain of the Chennai Super Kings team playing at the IPL (Indian Premier League) and thus has reach and mass base even in the southern parts of India. Both these players joining the party will be an asset for us.”

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If the ruling party manages to rope in both these stalwarts then it will be a huge boost for them with 2019 elections in focus. Both the cricketers have a grand fan base and are national heroes for their achievements on the cricket pitch. While Gambhir is currently playing domestic cricket for Delhi, Dhoni is still a crucial cog in the national squad and is currently plying his trade for the Virat Kohli-led side in the ongoing ODI series against the Windies.