Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has informed the BJP leadership that he is not interested in joining politics or campaigning for the party during the Assembly elections in Bengal next year, sources said on Monday.

According to the sources, Sourav made it clear to the BJP last month that he did not want to join active politics and was happy with his role in cricket administration. There have been no attempts from the party to pressure him into changing his mind since the message was conveyed, the sources added.

Sourav could not be reached for comment.

BJP sources neither confirmed nor denied the claim. But a BJP source said, referring to the situation before the 2019 general election, “the party always wanted Sourav to play an important role but his hands were full with several other engagements”.

“The situation is different today as we have become a major political force in Bengal,” the BJP source said, adding that any role by Sourav would still help the party.