MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir Likely to Contest 2019 Lok Sabha Elections on BJP Tickets: Reports

If news reports are to be believed, Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are likely to join politics during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Speculations are rife at the moment, and it is being rumoured that the duo will be contesting on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), from their respective states, in the forthcoming General Elections.

According to a report in The Sunday Guardian, it is being said that the BJP is likely to replace Meenakshi Lekhi with Gautam Gambhir, to contest from the New Delhi seat. The replacement would be made on the basis of her poor performance in her constituency, after the victory in 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.

As per a senior BJP leader, “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,” stated the report.

The rumours of MS Dhoni joining politics and contesting on a BJP ticket are doing the rounds too. Talking about the duo contesting on BJP’s ticket in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019, the senior 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.”

Gautam Gambhir has been quite vocal about national issues on his Twitter account. The flamboyant cricketer has announced his retirement yet. Gambhir has taken a stand on several social problems and is quite a famous face for his social work. Will he finally make a plunge into politics or not, will be an intriguing move!

On the other hand, MS Dhoni is currently a vital part in the current Indian team. With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 fast approaching, it will be interesting to see if Dhoni enters politics during the same period. However, if reports are to be believed, there are high chances that the former Indian captains will soon be joining politics!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 22, 2018 01:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).