In a startling development, BJP MP and former international cricketer Gautam Gambhir has requested the BJP leadership to relieve him of his political duties so that he can focus on cricket. At a time when hundreds of aspiring candidates are fighting to get tickets to contest the general elections that are about two months away, Gambhir’s decision to quit has taken everyone by surprise. What could be the reason for his unusual step?
His opponents say that he already knows that he will not be fielded again because he has not lived upto expectations. Therefore, he has decided to leave the field instead of being dropped from the team before the next match.
But Gambhir has maintained that throughout his term as MP, he did an outstanding job. He had joined the BJP on 22nd March 2019 in the presence of Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad. The ministers and the party were extremely happy with his decision and the mood was upbeat.
BJP had no hesitation
The BJP lost no time in making him its candidate from the East Delhi constituency in the 2019 elections. But when his rival Atishi Marlena of AAP challenged him to a debate, Gambhir decided not to play the ball and ducked beneath the bouncer. He claimed that he did not believe in dharnas and debates. But was that the real reason? Whatever it may have been, Gambhir got the support of the voters and he won the elections by securing 695,109 votes against Atishi of AAP and Arvinder Singh Lovely of the INC.
Gambhir’s performance as MP
After becoming an MP Gambhir did several noteworthy things that were reported in the media. He saw to it that air purifiers were installed in his constituency. This was important since Delhi is notorious for being a highly polluted city and has very poor air quality. Gambhir also donated two years of his salary during the COVID-19 pandemic to help aid agencies in their fight against the dreaded contagion.
Gambhir also started a philanthropic foundation that organised COVID-19 vaccination camps in his constituency. In his constituency the Delhi BJP performed well in the 2022 Delhi MCD elections. So overall, Gambhir’s score cannot be described as poor or unsatisfactory.
His squabbles
But Gambhir has also been involved in unseemly behaviour which led to squabbles. Most of these were in connection to cricket. During the Asia Cup in 2023, he made obscene gestures towards fans that were chanting slogans that he did not like. On another occasion he almost came to blows with Virat Kohli after an altercation.
On another occasion he made remarks devaluing the role of MS Dhoni in the victory during the 2011 ICC World Cup. All this was unnecessary. So, there were times when he could have maintained a dignified silence but chose rake up controversies.
According to news reports, BJP has undertaken sweeping changes and some big names have been dropped. In Delhi, heavyweight contenders such as Meenakshi Lekhi and Harsh Vardhan have been axed. Perhaps Gambhir would have been dumped too. The party employed a multi-layered selection process involving public feedback, internal evaluations, and high-level discussions, to pick the candidates so there were some surprises.
Controversy was simmering
Moreover a controversy was simmering about Gambhir’s twin jobs. It is a fact that while he was an MP, Gambhir also continued to be involved in the IPL as a commentator. In this context, people were beginning to raise questions. Can a person draw two salaries from different occupations? Gambhir was getting his salary as MP and also getting paid for cricket commentary. This was going on for the last few years but somehow this issue did not become a major dispute.
The IPL tournament, which is considered to be the most glamorous one in the cricket world, will begin on March 22 and continue till May 26. It will be an impossible task for any person to work in the IPL as well as campaign in the general elections. So keeping all these things in mind, Gambhir seems to have opted to go back to his first love which is cricket and relinquish his political dreams for the time being.
| 
