Gautam Gambhir, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament from East Delhi, has decided to step down from active politics. The cricketer-turned-politician expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for allowing him to serve the people. 

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Gautam Gambhir took to social media, specifically Twitter, to announce his departure from active politics. The BJP MP cited a desire to focus on his cricket commitments as the primary reason behind his decision. In a message directed to BJP Party President JP Nadda, Gambhir expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for providing him with the opportunity to serve the people. This move comes as a surprise to many, considering Gambhir’s notable presence in politics since his victory in the 2019 elections.

Source: Free Press Journal

With Gambhir vacating his political duties, the focus shifts to the potential replacement within the BJP. A recent BJP Central Election Committee Meeting at the party headquarters in Delhi discussed Lok Sabha election seats across 17 states, making decisions on more than 155 seats. While the official candidate list is yet to be released, speculation is rife that either Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva or party general secretary Harsh Malhotra could step into Gambhir’s shoes. 

Source: True Scoop

The upcoming Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May, are projected to be a direct contest between the BJP and candidates from the INDIA bloc partners, AAP and Congress. While AAP has already announced its candidates for South Delhi, New Delhi, East Delhi, and West Delhi seats, the Congress is yet to reveal its candidates for Chandni Chowk, Northeast, and Northwest constituencies under the seat-sharing agreement with AAP.