Former Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary joins TMC ahead of Assembly elections

Hooghly (West Bengal) [India], February 24 (ANI): India cricketer Manoj Tiwary on Wednesday joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
This 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.
After joining the party, Tiwary said Mamata Banerjee is trying to unite people together.
"BJP is playing divisive policy and Mamata Banerjee is trying to unite people together. When I play cricket, I play for the country, not on the basis of religion," he said.
Also, Tiwary took to Twitter to share a link to his political profile on Instagram. "A new journey begins from today. Need all your love & support. From now onwards this will be my political profile on Instagram," he tweeted.
The bio of this Instagram profile reads: "Politician | AITMC | Proud Indian | Joy Bangla!"
Tiwary has represented India in 12 ODIs, amassing 287 runs which includes a century and a half-century. In the shortest format of the game, Tiwary played three games for India and scored 15 runs.
While his international career didn't go as planned, he will sign off as a domestic legend who won many a game for state team Bengal. Apart from scoring prolifically for the state team across formats, he has also played a key role in mentoring the youngsters coming into the squad. He was last seen in action in January in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. (ANI)