Kolkata, July 21 : Former India footballer Mehtab Hossain on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal. Hossain was welcomed into the party by state BJP President Dilip Ghosh at the party headquarters here during a press conference on Tuesday evening. On joining the saffron brigade, Hossain said: "I have been trying to do something for the people for a long time. But later I realised that politics is the best platform to do something good for the common people. That's why I embarked upon this field." Dubbing BJP as a secular political formation, the ex-footballer said that he is looking forward to work for the poor people in the days to come. Earlier, senior state BJP leader Joy Prakash Majumder received Hossain at the party office. A defensive midfielder during his playing days, Hossain has played for both the Kolkata giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. He was with East Bengal for 10 seasons, winning the Federation Cup thrice. He also earned 31 caps for the national football team between 2005 and 2014. /IANS