Agartala/UNI/IBNS: Former Indian cricket board (BCCI) president and ex-skipper Sourav Ganguly has accepted the offer to become the brand ambassador of Tripura tourism and also expressed his intention to contribute to the promotion of the state's sports talents.

Tripura Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury along with Secretary Tourism Uttam Kumar Chakma and Director Tapan Kumar Das met Ganguly at his residence on Tuesday with the proposal to make him the brand ambassador of the north eastern state.

"I am very happy and impressed with Dada's gesture. He gladly accepted the offer and hopefully if things proceed in the right direction, Sourav Ganguly will start working for promotion of our tourism in a couple of months," Chowdhury said.

Ganguly is scheduled to visit London early next month and soon after returning to India, he may visit Tripura at the end of June and start working on his module, Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury added, "Meantime we shall complete the agreement and documentation procedure within the next two weeks".

A visibly happy minister said, "Who can be a more popular personality than our beloved Sourav Ganguly, to promote the tourism potential of Tripura to the whole world?"

Ganguly's decision came days after his security was upgraded by the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal to Z category. Earlier, he used to get Y category security cover.

The former skipper's new role for Tripura has triggered political debates on social media with some linking it to politics.

Prior to 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, Ganguly was speculated to have joined the BJP, an arch-rival of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, though the southpaw stayed away from politics.

In 2022, Ganguly was unceremoniously and controversially not given a second term in the BCCI top post, which is now assumed by former cricketer Roger Binny.