Why Lalit Modi-CP Joshi tussle is more politics than cricket

Jaipur: Congress heavyweight CP Joshi’s attempt to bowl a doosra on Rajasthan’s political pitch has made the doosra Modi jump into the field. In a bid to win a second term in office before the political equations change after the state assembly polls, Joshi has announced elections for Rajasthan Cricket Association, which he currently heads. His rival Lalit Kumar Modi has indicated that he would contest Joshi from his home in London, adding a new twist to the politics of the game and the game of politics in Rajasthan. [caption id=“attachment_1208283” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lalit Modi. Reuters image[/caption] Joshi had beaten Modi in the last election with the help of bureaucrat Sanjay Dixit, another big hitter of the RCA game. Joshi and Dixit soon divorced, paving the way for the bureaucrat to reunite with his old friend Modi, whom he had helped win the RCA election in 2005. Joshi has called for the next election on 24 November, just a week before the Assembly elections in Rajasthan. “Lalit Modi will contest for the president’s post. The two of us will send Joshi back to the pavilion this time,” Dixit said. Though Modi has been banned by the BCCI, his supporters claim that a Rajasthan court allowed him to contest for the state cricket body, clearing the turf for a Modi-Joshi humdinger. Though the RCA election is just a sub-plot in the ongoing political narrative of Rajasthan, both the Congress and the BJP would be watching it closely for possible political advantage and damage. Modi has been Gehlot’s favourite political punching bag since the latter entered Rajasthan. Both during his own tenure and that of his predecessor Vasundhara Raje, Gehlot left no opportunity to hit Modi for his alleged proximity to the BJP stalwart. If Modi hits the track again, Gehlot is likely to raise the issue again. But Gehlot would not want his rival Joshi to lord over the RCA again. Throughout Joshi’s current tenure he was troubled by Gehlot’s acolytes, who made him sweat for even simple things like the control of Jaipur’s SMS Stadium. Nothing would make Gehlot happier than ensuring Joshi loses on the eve of assembly elections. If that happens, it would be a huge embarrassment for Joshi, who is being projected as Gehlot’s alternative by his supporters. Gehlot, being the wily politician he is, would love to be the political equivalent of a spot fixer. In public he would rant against Modi, but in private he may try to run-out teammate Joshi. Running with Joshi and hunting with Modi would suit Gehlot’s politics and style best. Even Modi loyalists find it intriguing that Joshi has opened the second front right into the middle of assembly elections. They feel that if he simultaneously battles Modi and Gehlot, Joshi could find the RCA election turning into the Leningrad moment for his army. For Raje, the RCA election is an unwanted distraction. Her supporters feel that she is cruising to victory in Rajasthan. She would ideally want the match to be called off till December 1, when voting is scheduled. But many in her camp feel that Gehlot’s rants against Modi have failed to evoke the interest of voters and even if he raises the old bogey again, the public would just yawn and move on. But Joshi may have also made his pre-match calculations meticulously. He knows that his best chance of retaining RCA lies in holding the election before the assembly polls, a logic betrayed by his decision to hold them almost a month ahead of schedule. If the Congress loses the election, Joshi would lose many of the opportunistic electors in RCA. Joshi is also relying on the timing of his masterstroke. He is hoping that Gehlot will not harm him for fear of retribution in election and Raje may stay away; both courtesy assembly elections. Modi is the only one with nothing to lose. He is already in exile. The cricket establishment has banned him. The current UPA government is not helping him. If the NDA returns, Arun Jaitley will ensure that he watches the sun set on the Thames. So, Modi will play with the gay abandon of a batsman sent out as a pinch hitter. And those who understand cricket know that a player with the license to hit every bowler could be lethal. For the same reason, Rajasthan’s politicians would also be watching Modi with a mix of fear and anticipation.