BJP offers Sourav Ganguly a seat of his choice in Lok Sabha polls

After offering a ticket to Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly to contest general elections next year, Bharatiya Janata Party said that the stylish southpaw needed some time to make up his mind.

Zee Media Bureau

Kolkata: After offering a ticket to Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly to contest the general elections next year, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday said that the Bengal sports icon needed some time to make up his mind. After Ganguly formally accepted that an offer had indeed been made to him, West Bengal BJP president Rahul Sinha on Saturday spoke to media, and said, “Sourav Ganguly needs time to make the decision of joining BJP.” "Varun Gandhi recently approached Ganguly with the offer. We have told him that he can contest from any seat of his choice. Ganguly has not yet said yes. He said he will consider. He has sought some time to think over it," Sinha added. It was also reported that he had earlier been approached by BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who promised to make the stylish southpaw the sports minister in the Cabinet if the party came to power. "Yes, I`ve an offer. But I`m still undecided on what to do. I`ve been busy for last few days... I`ll let you know soon," Ganguly was quoted as saying in a leading Bengali daily. The speculation has been doing rounds after he met Varun Gandhi through a common friend in the capital in mid November. Varun, the national general secretary of BJP, is also the observer for West Bengal. In the Trinamool Congress-ruled Bengal with 42 seats, BJP has a solitary presence in Darjeeling.