The alcoves were the venue of many meetings between those who played a pivotal role in the unification of India and transfer of power from the British to Indians. It was from here that the great VP Menon who supported Sardar Patel worked hard to convince Indian maharajas to join the Indian union. Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin chose a private meeting room at Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club, leading to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

The gymkhana it was, where General KM Cariappa, the senior most Indian fauji, hosted a farewell party for colleagues who had opted for Pakistan at the time of the Partition. It is here that the good general put it so memorably: "Comrades-in-arms, during all our life in the various services we have lived together, worked together played together in the various battlefields on which our magnificent Armed Forces have fought with the highest degree of fellowship and comradeship. May this spirit continue even after we are separated.”

Alas, fellowship and comradeship haven’t just disappeared between the Armed forces of India and Pakistan.

Delhi Gymkhana Club, since rebranded from its imperial past, in its 100th year after it was erected under the presidentship of then United Province governor Spencer Hartcourt Butler at  Coronation Grounds in 1913, for use of the ruling elite comprising of officers of the Indian Civil Service, Armed Forces and Civil Residents of the then Delhi, witnesses its most acrimonious battle over who would be its next president in elections today afternoon.

Why bother, you might grumble, dear reader! For reasons that The Times of India front-paged the electoral acrimony, a fact echoed in serious newspapers [for example, WSJ and The Independent] smitten by its legacy set over 27.3 acres of land in Lutyens Delhi. Where else do you have Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and vice president Hamid Ansari and a certain Rahul Gandhi among the 5,600 voting members!

(For those just joining in, the contest which normally was settled over a rubber of bridge or a break after tennis at the courts that rival those at Wimbledon now has attracted four highly accomplished candidates. There’s Vijay Chhibber, a top IAS officer and the only serving official in the fray. Then there’s former broadcaster Urmila Gupta pitching herself as potentially the first woman to head the club. There’s also BL Vora, a policeman who claims he is the only one who hasn’t used alcohol to woo voters, and AS Dulat a former spy chief whose supporters describe themselves as the D Company!)

The saga of elections is captured in a signed piece accessed by me from ambassador Jagdish Sharma, an old-timer at the Gymkhana. The piece was blocked by editors of the club journal! Here are the excerpts:

“Elections of many clubs in Delhi are often very keenly contested. Campaigning is particularly hectic when heavy weight candidates are in fray. Many clubs have clear cut two slates. In some cases it has led to deep frictions leading to litigation and intervention of courts. Some clubs almost became personal fiefdom of some influential people or groups. Candidates have spent lavishly to retain their control or to dislodge the other group. Lavish parties, providing member with transport and promise to give membership to family members and associates are common form of inducement. Invariably such bitterly contested elections led to further divisions among the members. They also received adverse media coverage and lowered the prestige and standing of the club. Over the years these clubs went down in the pecking order of elite institutions. Why did this happen? The answer is clear because the office bearers and some members deviated from the ethos and vision of the founders and diluted the standards particularly code of conduct.

“We in Delhi Gymkhana have also gone through some difficult times. Fortunately we were able to recover from it in a very short time because of the commitment of our members to the traditions and ethos of our founders and vision of many of our past Presidents and General Committees. We introduced reforms well in time and ensured fairness. As a result Delhi Gymkhana Club remains the most prestigious and sought after club of Delhi. Our club has also witnessed quite a few keenly contested elections in last few years particularly if the influential candidates were in fray for the post of President. There has been hectic campaigning by candidates. Our elections have also received some media coverage on a few occasions. We have also witnessed very large crowds near the entrance of AGM venue. Number of cocktail parties organized to solicit support has been on the rise.
“Many a times there has been gossip that the parties have involved outsiders who are not members of the club. It is obvious that the expenditure has been on the rise. From early indications this year’s election will be quite an eventful one. Probably the interest is more than usual because of the centenary year. A few cocktail parties have already taken place and going by the trend many more are likely to take place. SMS messages and email campaign has also begun quite early. At this rate per voter expenditure in our elections would be higher than any MP or MLA’s election. Election commission has set limits on expenditure according to the size of the constituency. Maximum amount in large states is Rs 40 Lakhs which would come to approximately four Rs per voter. The expenditures by parties is not included.

“It has been clearly identified that this is the cause of lot of ills in our polity and discourages good people from contesting elections. In case the expenditure keeps increasing would we not head in the same direction? Is lavish spending on elections particularly large number of cocktails to solicit support is in keeping with the ethos of our club? Would this enhance or erode our prestige? Is it not sheer hypocrisy if we criticize the politicians for huge expenditure but accept it for our club elections?

“Centenary is the best time to introspect and take corrective action. Past Presidents and GC Members and senior members of the club have a special responsibility to check this phenomenon. I would propose the club may organize two or three tea parties and open house where all candidates can be introduced and given an opportunity to address the members. We can also have debate moderated by eminent members on the pattern of US Presidential elections. The special issue of News Letter may carry a statement by all candidates along with their 200 words CV. This may also be put on club website. Members may have many more useful suggestions. We have shown in the past that this venerable institution has resilience for reforms and the time to do it NOW. USP of Delhi Gymkhana Club is its respect for traditions and old fashioned values and highest standards of ethics.

“Let us in this centenary year ensure that we do not dilute these values and traditions and ensure Gymkhana always remains number one club in the country.”

JC Sharma
P 2465