Bombay Gymkhana polls end peacefully as Sanjiv Saran Mehra retains president’s post

The Bombay Gym stamp released on the club`s milestone. Pics/By Special Arrangement

It is election, aggro, and acrimony at clubs across the city, as polling for committee posts has seen pitched battles recently. Most clubs wrapped up voting and have declared results this month, making it a sizzling September for those invested in the elections as members, candidate supporters, or contestants themselves.

Sanjiv Saran Mehra

[popcorn number="Sunday" desc="Day election results were announced" class="Default"]

150 years and going

The upscale Bombay Gymkhana Club, with its Swiss Chalet-style clubhouse skirting the Azad Maidan, notched a historical milestone, completing 150 years in 2025.

Unopposed win

The Bombay Gymkhana at Fort, though, has seen a calm as other ships sailed stormy polling seas. Sitting club president Sanjiv Saran Mehtra retained his post at the club unopposed for the top job.

Nobody contested against Saran, who completed three years in his first term as president and now has three more years in his second term at the helm. The results were announced on Sunday evening.

The others elected to the Bombay Gymkhana committee, who also won uncontested, are: (all honorary) Rishabh Kumar (Secretary: Billiards and Snooker); Jahaan M Dastur (Secretary: Rugby); Bhavin D Kothari (Secretary: Tennis and Padel). All other managing committee members continue their terms.

Smooth polling in decades

Several Bombay Gymkhana members said that for candidates to win unopposed was extremely rare, and they could not recall a similar smooth polling scenario since three or four decades ago. Club polling across, especially of late, has seen much bitterness at the ballot box, as the stakes have zoomed for posts on club committees, which are more coveted than ever.