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Badminton legend Saina Nehwal said she is open to entering electoral politics in the future, though she has not made a final decision yet.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member, Nehwal said she wants to contribute to the country's development and continue serving the nation beyond her sporting career. In 2020, Nehwal joined the BJP in the presence of the party's national general secretary Arun Singh. "I want to. Let us see. At the moment, I haven't decided yet. But definitely, I am looking forward to that," Nehwal told ANI. "Just like I played for the country for so many years. I am in BJP now. Because I like BJP altogether. Like they are doing for the country, for development. So, I am associated with them. So, I would also like to do better for the country. I have always thought of the betterment of the country. And I have brought so many medals. So, I would like that we all come together in unity. And we can do as much better for our country," she added. Nehwal also praised Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand for their confident and composed performance that earned India a women's doubles bronze at the recently concluded BWF World Championships 2026. Nehwal said she had hoped India would win more medals in the singles events, but expressed pride in the duo's achievement and praised their confidence and composure under pressure. Jolly and Gopichand secured a bronze medal after their spirited challenge against world No. 1 Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning ended in a three-game defeat in the women's doubles semifinals of the BWF World Championships 2026. "I am really happy that we are performing well across all categories, and this time it was the women's doubles that delivered. Trisha and Gayatri put in such a powerful performance. I was hoping we would win medals in singles as well because we are capable of doing it. We have achieved so much at the World Championships and the Olympics, where we have won medals. I was expecting more medals for India this time, but I am extremely proud of Trisha and Gayatri. They played with tremendous confidence and showed great composure under pressure," Nehwal said. Treesa and Gayatri, ranked 39th in the world, had accounted for three seeded pairs to reach the semifinals, ending India's 15-year wait for a women's doubles medal since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa achieved that feat back in 2011. (ANI)
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