Mumbai, Apr 8: Ahead of the upcoming civic body elections, former Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of state unit chief and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and former minister and state executive president Ravindra Chavan.

By joining the BJP, which leads the Mahayuti government in the state, Jadhav is set to start his new innings.

Bawankule said that it was a great moment to welcome a former cricketer, Kedar Jadhav, into the party fold.

"I salute Chhatrapati Shivaji. Under PM Narendra Modi and CM Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP is doing politics of development," said Jadhav after formally joining the BJP.

Jadhav's entry comes at a time when the BJP has stepped up efforts to enrol 1.5 crore members in the state, and it expects the entry of leaders from various parties and sectors.

Jadhav had announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in 2024.

Thirty-nine-year-old Jadhav played his last match against New Zealand in February 2020.

Jadhav made his debut in international cricket in 2014. He played his first ODI against Sri Lanka in Ranchi. He scored 1,389 runs in 73 ODIs at an average of 42.09.

He has scored two centuries and six half-centuries in ODIs. Notably, Jadhav has a total of 27 wickets to his name. In international T20 cricket, he has scored a total of 58 runs at an average of 123.23.

Earlier, Chavan said that the BJP is the only organisation that protects the interests of the country and the people.

"The Sanghtan Parv campaign undertaken by the BJP Maharashtra Pradesh received a huge response. Many people in the state are still joining the BJP family," he added.

(IANS)

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