Badminton star Saina Nehwal joins BJP

Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on January 29.

Her sister Chandranshu also joined the BJP. They were inducted by the party's National General Secretary Arun Singh.

The 29-year-old has won over 24 international titles, including 11 Superseries. She had also won the bronze medal in the women’s singles badminton competition at the 2012 London Olympics.

Nehwal, a former world number 1, was conferred with the Padma Bhushan — India's third highest civilian award — in 2016. She had previously won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award — the nation's top two sporting honours.

She is currently ranked 9th in the women's singles category, according to the BWF World Rankings.

In 2019, many sportspersons such as cricketer Gautam Gambhir and wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat had joined the party.

(This story will be updated when more details are available)