Gujarat Assembly debate on T20 final tickets sees divergent views
Gandhinagar, March 10 : The Gujarat Assembly, on Tuesday, witnessed a heated discussion over the T20 World Cup final tickets over the past two days, drawing attention from both ruling and Opposition legislators in the state.
BJP MLA Arvind Patel raised concerns about not being able to secure tickets for the India vs New Zealand final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8.
Responding in the House, a state Minister assured that arrangements would be made for legislators in the event of any future final matches.
Clarifying the situation, Congress MLA Imran Khedawala said that while he had worn a Team India jersey and brought a cake to celebrate India's victory on Monday, he immediately cancelled the plan upon learning that a minute of silence had been scheduled in the state Assembly in memory of BJP leader and Umreth MLA Govind Parmar.
"Not a single Congress MLA had raised any demand for match tickets, unlike Arvind Patel," Khedawala told IANS.
Opposition leaders criticised the focus on cricket tickets amid the ongoing public service issues.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gopal Italia, speaking alongside party legislators Chaitar Vasava, Hemant Khava and Sudhir Vaghani, said: "Despite the significant expenditure on the Assembly, including salaries and other costs, the discussion in the House is on tickets for a cricket match final rather than on public concerns. Children are unable to secure school admissions, hospitals lack beds, and many areas have no bus services for the poor."
SAAP MLA Italia added, "The people of Gujarat should take note of the kind of matters being raised in the State Assembly."
The debate comes in the wake of intense demand for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final tickets, which was held on March 8.
Police have arrested multiple individuals for selling tickets at inflated prices and warned the public about counterfeit and black-market sales.
The proceedings of the Assembly House started after a week-long vacation.
While the Assembly proceedings are moving in order, the issue of cricket final tickets became a talking point.
BJP MLA Arvind Patel raised concerns about not being able to secure tickets for the India vs New Zealand final held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8.
Responding in the House, a state Minister assured that arrangements would be made for legislators in the event of any future final matches.
Clarifying the situation, Congress MLA Imran Khedawala said that while he had worn a Team India jersey and brought a cake to celebrate India's victory on Monday, he immediately cancelled the plan upon learning that a minute of silence had been scheduled in the state Assembly in memory of BJP leader and Umreth MLA Govind Parmar.
"Not a single Congress MLA had raised any demand for match tickets, unlike Arvind Patel," Khedawala told IANS.
Opposition leaders criticised the focus on cricket tickets amid the ongoing public service issues.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gopal Italia, speaking alongside party legislators Chaitar Vasava, Hemant Khava and Sudhir Vaghani, said: "Despite the significant expenditure on the Assembly, including salaries and other costs, the discussion in the House is on tickets for a cricket match final rather than on public concerns. Children are unable to secure school admissions, hospitals lack beds, and many areas have no bus services for the poor."
SAAP MLA Italia added, "The people of Gujarat should take note of the kind of matters being raised in the State Assembly."
The debate comes in the wake of intense demand for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final tickets, which was held on March 8.
Police have arrested multiple individuals for selling tickets at inflated prices and warned the public about counterfeit and black-market sales.
The proceedings of the Assembly House started after a week-long vacation.
While the Assembly proceedings are moving in order, the issue of cricket final tickets became a talking point.