By Madhulika Gupta
Former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia called it quits with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) through a Twitter post that surprised political watchers. The footballer, who has had a glorious professional career of nearly two decades, stepped into mainstream politics in 2014 to contest the Lok Sabha elections for the Darjeeling constituency. He reportedly did so after TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee persuaded him to run.
What appears to be an amicable ‘break-up’ between TMC and Bhutia has a deeper significance than what might be apparent at first glance. BJP and Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) tried hard to lure the influential public figure into the political limelight, and so his reasons for leaving politics will be of great importance to the parties.
Football to politics
Bhutia, who originally hails from Sikkim, has long been extremely vocal about his desire to change the political status quo. When he was chosen to represent the Darjeeling constituency in the 2014 General Elections, both Bhaichung and his fans thought this was the moment they had been waiting for.
The football fanaticism in West Bengal and the neighbouring North-East paid off for Bhaichung, who was popularly named ‘the chosen one’. The football star enjoys massive support among the youth in the region, which made the decision to field him as a candidate in the politically sensitive region of Darjeeling a smart choice.
However, his political career so far has not been an eventful affair. He lost two consecutive elections due to his limited presence on the ground in Darjeeling and Siliguri. It is more popular to say now that Bhaichung joined politics with big dreams but failed to deliver.
Resignation Twitter post
Bhutia took to social media to announce his decision to break all ties with the All India Trinamool Congress and went on to clarify that he was not associating with any political party. The Trinamool Congress’ Secretary-General Partha Chatterjee told the media that the party had not been informed of any such decision and a mere tweet was not sufficient to put it into effect. On the other hand, Trinamool insiders have revealed that they have been sceptical of Bhutia’s continuing role in the party and view the footballer as a tone-deaf politician who has been invisible at Trinamool Congress events since 2016.
Bhutia’s decision to call it quits has been attributed mainly to the TMC-led government’s stand on the Gorkhaland issue. The sparks from this controversy led to a full-blown fire in 2017 when a 104-day long strike in Darjeeling aggravated the situation to the point that food supplies had to be halted. Bhutia, who hails from Sikkim, has been sympathetic with the Gorkhas and was clearly baffled at how a sensitive matter like this was being mishandled.
It is being said that Bhaichung has great respect for Mamata Banerjee, but baggage from years of association with Banerjee has made it difficult for him to continue working with her. Rumours also have it that Bhutia might be eyeing the bigger political picture. He is thought to want to enter state politics by trying his luck in the Sikkim elections.
BJP and SKM woo Bhutia
Following Bhutia’s tweet, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju from the BJP sent his own tweet in response, “Football icon and former Indian captain Baichung Bhutia’s resignation from TMC was expected. He told me he has high regards for Mamata Banerjee but unable to cope with the situation. He desires to do more for Football and Sikkim. My best wishes to Bhaichung for his future endeavour”.
Both BJP and SKM are watching Bhutia’s exit from TMC closely. SKM, which is still a young party having been founded in 2013, has been sitting in opposition to the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government. BJP is nowhere in the game and has no seats in the state. The attempt to attract Bhaichung Bhutia is the BJP’s way to establish a foothold in the region. The chances of BJP winning on their own might be low, but associating with a person like Bhutia, who is the ‘son of the soil’, may provide a way for the BJP to raise its popularity.
The incumbent Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Kumar Chamling of SDF, is looking ahead to Bhutia joining the BJP or SKM camp as a nightmare scenario. While it is true that the SDF would fight with tooth and nail to woo Bhutia back, the chances of him siding with BJP or SKM are high mainly because of the anti-incumbency factor, which limits what the ruling party can do.
There is no way yet to tell if Bhaichung Bhutia will choose to ally with SKM, SDF or BJP. He might even float his own party or might choose to leave politics for good. But if he does choose to ally with one of the opposition parties, his personal popularity might help to radically alter politics in the state.
Featured Image Source: Flickr
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