Tennis champion and winner of the bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Leander Paes today joined the Trinamool Congress(TMC)in Goa, in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee. Goa goes to assembly polls next year. Banerjee, who is in the coastal state on a three-day visit, welcomed Mr. Paes into the party fold.
Senior actor and activist Nafisa Ali, who contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from South Kolkata against Ms. Banerjee, also joined the party. The party tweeted saying “We are extremely delighted to share that Shri Leander joined us today in the presence of our Hon’ble Chairperson Mamata Banerjee. Together, we shall ensure that every single person in this nation sees the Dawn of Democracy that we have been waiting for since 2014!”The West Bengal chief minister, who arrived in Goa on Thursday evening as part of her three-day visit to the BJP-ruled state, also said her party wants to fight elections here not to divide votes but to make the coastal state “strong and self-sufficient” and asserted that the state will not be run from Delhi.