The Didi factor: Decoding why Sourav Ganguly turned down BJP's invite

The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to grow in West Bengal and while it has had its share of celebrities (think Bappi Lahiri and Babul Supriyo) campaigning for  it in the recent past, there was speculation that it could  get state’s favourite cricketing son Sourav Ganguly, to join its ranks.

According to a   CNN-IBN report ,  the cricketer was reportedly been in talks with the party for some time now and could join the party soon.

However, the former Indian cricket team captain  admitted he had received an offer but said he wouldn’t be joining the party. Meanwhile, the BJP denied that any such move was imminent .

This isn’t the first time there is speculation Ganguly is receiving an offer from a political party to join its ranks. Ahead of the 2014 general elections, the cricketer was offered a ticket to contest the poll by the BJP and the Trinamool Congress . But he declined both offers.

“I have declined it. I won’t be contesting the elections,” Ganguly had said while rejecting the BJP offer.

The Congress unit of the state had also met with him but the party denied it had made him an offer to contest the polls on a party ticket.

However, Ganguly has in the past proven himself adept at negotiating the political currents in the state. The former Indian captain had endorsed erstwhile CPM chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s attempt to boost industrialisation in the state, and was accused of receiving favours from the Left Front government in the state in the form of a land allocation for a school in 2000.The Supreme Court quashed the allotment of around 63 kothas of land for his school in 2011.

However, at the same time he  showed no qualms about meeting Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee while her star was on the rise in the state.  After the TMC came to power, he  was conferred with a lifetime achievement award in 2013 and also had two acres of land allocated for his school and cricket project, which he  had the Chief Minister inaugurate.

For the BJP, getting Ganguly would be a coup as it works on getting prominent personalities to join the party to build its attack on the West Bengal chief minister. It has recently been making inroads into the TMC, by getting leaders to defect. TMC’s minister of state for refugee relief and rehabilitation, Manjul Krishna Thakur, recently switched sides and there is also speculation that the party’s MP from Barrackpore , Dinesh Trivedi, may also be set to join the BJP.

The defections and the threat of more to come resulted in Banerjee holding a closed door meeting with the party’s core committee members and warned them not to join the ‘saffron party.’

“I don’t want any of my leaders, ministers and legislators to backstab the party and stay with our organisation at the same time. Our doors are open for those who want to quit us. These leaders are free to leave us and join any party. But it is difficult for us to tolerate such persons to stay with us and allow them to pretend that they are our well wishers despite knowing the fact that such leaders are maintaining secret links with other parties,” Mamata reportedly told her leaders.

The Indian cricketer would be a good catch for the BJP as it attempts to become a major player in a state in which it still has had a minor presence. But for Ganguly, taking on Banerjee so early before the state goes to polls would a big gamble given his association with her so far. Unless, like in the case of Kiran Bedi, the offer is too good to resist.

(This article was modified from its original version in light of Ganguly and the BJP denying reports of him joining the party)