New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party MP and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Saturday announced that he wants to quit politics.

Citing his upcoming cricket commitments, Gautam Gambhir has urged BJP chief JP Nadda to relieve him from political duties. This comes ahead of upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He also thanked PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for ‘giving him the opportunity to serve the people.’

Gambhir made the announcement on social media platform, X, amid speculations that he may not get a ticket for the upcoming 2024 polls.

He tweeted,” I have requested Hon’ble Party President @JPNadda ji to relieve me of my political duties so that I can focus on my upcoming cricket commitments. I sincerely thank Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji and Hon’ble HM @AmitShah ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the people. Jai Hind!”

The BJP is yet to announce tickets for the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi. Gautam Gambhir is a sitting BJP MP from East Delhi constituency. He won the seat after defeating Congress’s Arvind Singh Lovely and AAP's Atishi in 2019.

Notably, the Delhi MP and ex-Indian cricketer will fulfill his commitments in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the coming months, where he is serving as the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a team he led to two IPL titles as a captain.