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This is an archive article published on May 11, 2019

At Gautam Gambhir’s final road show, it’s buy one, get one free

The BJP denied that Gambhir had used a “lookalike”, and said that he had sat down because he was feeling unwell.

At Gautam Gambhir’s final road show, it’s buy one, get one free Gambhir contests, his proxy takes the heat. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

A photo of BJP’s East Delhi candidate Gautam Gambhir sitting inside a vehicle and a man looking peculiarly similar standing atop the same car during a road show prompted a barb from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who said the cricketer-turned-politician was using a doppelganger. Read in Malayalam 

The BJP denied that Gambhir had used a “lookalike”, and said that he had sat down because he was feeling unwell. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor told The Indian Express that the man who stood atop the vehicle afterwards was Gaurav Arora, a close friend of Gambhir and a BJP worker. “He (Arora) and Gautam ji have been friends since their school days, for around 25 years… his father Manohar Arora is an active party worker in Karol Bagh,” he said.

Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Polling schedule, results date, constituency-wise election results, key candidates

The road show started around 11:30 am from Mayur Vihar Phase-III paper market, with Gambhir leading the procession atop the vehicle wearing a white kurta and cap. By 11:45 am, as the procession reached Trilokpuri, Arora had taken his place, also wearing a white kurta and cap, with the addition of a waistcoat. Crowds of workers thronged around the vehicle and tried to garland him, and he reached out and took garlands from some of them, occasionally waving and folding his hands.

As Gautam Gambhir took a break from the heat, his friend Gaurav Arora takes place atop the vehicle. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

As a photo showing both men in the same frame emerged online, Sisodia tweeted: “This is the mahamilawat of Congress and BJP. Gautam Gambhir is sitting below in an AC car. He has a problem with the heat. A lookalike is standing in his place wearing a cap. Confusing the ‘duplicate’ for Gautam Gambhir, workers are garlanding him. And the one who is a duplicate is a Congress politician.”

The AAP, in a statement, added: “It is disturbing to see people of East Delhi coming out in the heat to meet and garland their leader.

The AAP, in a statement, added: “It is disturbing to see people of East Delhi coming out in the heat to meet and garland their leader. On the contrary, he is sitting cozy in an air-conditioned vehicle with window panes up.”

However, BJP’s East Delhi Lok Sabha in-charge Rajiv Babbar said, “For 10-15 minutes during the campaign, Gambhir felt a little giddy due to the heat and sat in the front seat of the campaign vehicle. Meanwhile, party workers atop the vehicle kept waving at people. Waving of hands by workers atop campaign vehicles is a normal practice.”

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Gautam Gambhir with his wife Natasha Jain Rally at Vikas Marg between Preet Vihar to Laxmi Nagar, on the last day of Campaigning. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

On whether public was misled during the road show, Kapoor said, “There is no question of misleading. Gautam ji was clearly sitting in the car. If someone was working a mask, there might have been some question of misleading. Are we fools to try something like that?”

Late Friday night, Gambhir tweeted: “Faced with a certain defeat, @AAP finds a fixation everyday, this time they found my clone !!”

Sukrita Baruah is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, based in Guwahati. From this strategic hub, she provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of India's North East, a region characterized by its complex ethnic diversity, geopolitical significance, and unique developmental challenges. Expertise and Experience Ethnic & Social Dynamics: Deep-dive coverage of regional conflicts (such as the crisis in Manipur) and peace-building efforts. Border & Geopolitics: Tracking developments along India’s international borders and their impact on local communities. Governance & Policy: Reporting on state elections, tribal council decisions, and the implementation of central schemes in the North East. Specialized Education Background: Prior to her current role, Sukrita was a dedicated Education Correspondent for The Indian Express in Delhi. This experience provided her with a sharp analytical lens for: Policy Analysis: Evaluating the National Education Policy (NEP) and university-level reforms. Student Affairs: Covering high-stakes stories regarding campus politics, national entrance exams, and the challenges within the primary and secondary education sectors. ... Read More

 

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