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Months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, BJP’s East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir has decided to step down from active politics and said that he wants to focus on his upcoming cricket commitments. The former Indian batter thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him a chance to serve the people.
The decision came amid reports that the BJP has finalized its first list of the candidates for Lok Sabha elections, which may include some high-profile names. As per the BJP sources, the party will first release the names of candidates in the seats it lost in 2019 so that the candidates get ample time to campaign.
Why Gautam Gambhir decided to quit politics?
While announcing his decision, Gautam Gambhir said that he requested BJP President JP Nadda to relieve him of the political duties so that he can focus on my upcoming cricket commitments.
“I have requested Hon’ble Party President JP Nadda ji to relieve me of my political duties so that I can focus on my upcoming cricket commitments. I sincerely thank Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi for giving me the opportunity to serve the people. Jai Hind,” Gautam Gambhir said in a post on X.
Besides his political activities, Gautam Gambhir continued his association with cricket as he coached IPL teams and also played in the Legends League Cricket. Moreover, he worked as a cricket commentator with Star Sports and shared his valuable opinions during various ICC tournaments. Gautam Gambhir’s political opponents also attacked the leader for not paying attention to his constituency and always remaining busy with cricket.
The BJP MP responded the the criticism and said the money he earns for cricket is used for the welfare of people. “Why I commentate in IPL or work in it is because I spend INR 25 lakh every month to feed 5000 people. This translates to roughly Rs. 2.75 crore per year. I’ve also spent INR 25 lakh to build a library,” Gautam Gambhir said in a press conference.
“I spend all of this money from my pocket and not from the MPLAD fund. The MPLAD fund doesn’t run my kitchen or other things that I do. I don’t have a tree in my house from where I can pluck money either,” he added.
Ahead of the IPL 2024, Gautam Gambhir is set to return to his franchise as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has roped him in as the mentor of the team.
Who will replace Gautam Gambhir?
The sources also claim that the BJP high command was unhappy with Gautam Gambhir and felt that the leader couldn’t capitalize well on the opportunity he was provided with. As per the reports, East Delhi will be part of BJP’s first list of candidates, and Delhi BJP President Virender Sachdeva and party general secretary Harsh Malhotra are expected to replace Gautam Gambhir.
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Published: 02 Mar 2024, 03:58 PM IST
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