Former India skipper and explosive batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth on Tuesday decided to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in the Lok Sabha election.
Earlier, former opener Navjot Singh Sidhu had joined the party. Former cricketers Kirti Azad and Chetan Chauhan are already members of the BJP.
Announcing his decision in the presence of BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu, Srikkanth said he has decided to campaign for the party in order to ensure that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee can 'play a long innings to make India a superpower'.
He, however, kept the option of joining the party for the future.
"I am attracted by the call of the BJP that all intelligentsia, sportspersons and every section of the society to join the national mainstream. There is no use of people like us remaining in the back foot," he said.
He also said that BJP's campaign theme 'India Shining' was promising.
He said he would be present when Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani launches the Bharat Uday Yatra at Kanyakumari on Wednesday.