Tennis player Leander Paes joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Goa on Friday in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee.
The 48-year-old Indian tennis legend has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour, in 1996-97, the Arjuna Award in 1990, the Padma Shri award in 2001 and India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan prize in January 2014, for his outstanding contribution to tennis.
He won a bronze medal for India in singles in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Paes competed in consecutive Olympics from 1992 to 2016, making him the first Indian and only tennis player to compete at seven Olympic Games.
Earlier in the day, Bollywood actress Nafisa Ali and Mrinalini Deshprabhu joined the TMC.
The developments come ahead of Assembly polls in Goa scheduled to be held early next year.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Chief Minister who is in Goa is scheduled to interact with party workers and the fishermen community here today.
( With inputs from ANI )
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