Xtra Time Web Desk: On a day when India cricketer Manoj Tiwary joined Trinamool Congress, his former teammate and ex-India fast bowler Ashok Dinda joined Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in Kolkata.
Dinda was formally inducted into the party in presence of the Union Minister Babul Supriyo and state BJP vice president Arjun Singh at a public meeting in Kolkata.
Recently Dinda had announced retirement from all formats of the game. The pacer represented India in 13 ODIs and nine T20Is, picking 12 and 17 wickets respectively. He featured in 116 first-class fixtures and snared 420 scalps at 28.28 alongside 26 fifers and 19 four-wicket hauls.
The right-arm speedster was also part of as much as five franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Rising Pune Supergiants.
Dinda’s induction into the BJP comes ahead of the Assembly elections. Elections for the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal that comprises 294 seats are set to be held this year as the current tenure ends on May 30.