Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal joins BJP

NEW DELHI: Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old, who hails from Haryana and is settled in Hyderabad, is a former world number one. She has won numerous international titles, including a bronze medal at the Olympics.

Saina Nehwal joined the BJP in the presence of party's national general secretary Arun Singh. Saina Nehwal's sister Chandranshu also joined the BJP.

"PM Modi is working hard for the country, he inspires me," Saina said after joining the BJP. "It's a privilege for me to be working with PM Modi," she added.

Last year, a number of sportspersons including cricketer Gautam Gambhir and Commonwealth Games medal-winning wrestler Babita Phogat had joined BJP.

On the professional front, Saina was last seen playing in the Thailand Masters tournament, where her performance remained less than impressive as she was knocked in the very first round.

On January 22 she was knocked out of Thailand Masters after losing to D enmark's Line Kjaersfeldt 21-13, 17-21, 21-15.