BJP pits Gautam Gambhir against Arvinder S. Lovely from East Delhi

Gambhir, a resident of Rajinder Nagar in Delhi, was a high-profile campaigner for Jaitley's 2014 contest in Punjab's Amritsar seat which the BJP lost.

Picture: Gautam Gambhir (Twitter account)

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday fielded former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir from East Delhi constituency for the Lok Sabha elections. There were speculations that the saffron party would contest him from New Delhi which is currently held by Meenakshi Lekhi.  However, Lekhi would again compete from the New Delhi seat, the party said. Gambhir is pitted against former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Lovely and Atishi Marlena of AAP. Delhi will vote on May 12. Exactly a month ago, Gambhir had joined the BJP in the presence of Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.On the occasion, Gambhir, 37, thanked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for giving him an opportunity to serve the country.

Many thanks sir, will need your guidance and support. https://t.co/RGxZ2QFYST

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 22, 2019

"I am joining this party (BJP) after getting influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. I am honoured to get the opportunity. I will work to take this country forward and make it a better place to live in," Gambhir told the media after joining the BJP. Gambhir, a resident of Rajinder Nagar in Delhi, was a high-profile campaigner for Jaitley's 2014 contest in Punjab's Amritsar seat which the BJP lost. The cricketer-turned politician officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on December 4, 2018.

#ElectionCampaign: विख्यात क्रिकेट खिलाड़ी श्री गौतम गंभीर ने भारतीय जनता पार्टी की सदस्यता ग्रहण करने के बाद आज अपनी सर्वप्रथम रैली रामनगर और नगरी, कठुआ में की।#NaMoForNewIndia

Tap below for #Video pic.twitter.com/jjoHvhzBDs — Chowkidar Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) April 11, 2019

He played 58 Tests, scoring 4,154 runs at an average of 41.95, including nine centuries and 22 fifties. He played 147 ODIs, scoring 5,238 runs at an average of 39.68 and a strike-rate of 85.25. Gambhir made his last appearance in the India jersey in the first Test against England (2016) in the home series. He played a pivotal role in India's historic victories in the inaugural edition of ICC World T20. In the ICC World Cup 2011, he played match-winning knocks of 75 (against Pakistan) and 97 (against Sri Lanka) which helped the men in blue to lift the world title. After joining the BJP, Gambhir got into a Twitter spat with National Conference leader and former J&K CM Omar Abdullah suggesting him to shift to Pakistan over his remarks that his party would strive to restore Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy that could include having a wazir-e-azam (prime minister). (With agency inputs)