[1][2] Gautam had started politics in 1989 and been a loyalist of the Bahujan Samaj Party for 31 years.
He became district president for 12 years, was given the charge of zonal coordinator in various divisions and was known for being a party loyalist.
[1] In 2020, Gautam was expelled the BSP by the district president Manoj Kumar Kanojia.
He had served there for 31 years in the BSP and was expelled in what he described as a "political conspiracy" taking place within the party.
[3][4] He shifted to the Samajwadi Party after finding no recourse and was again fielded from Mankapur (SC) in the 2022 election as an SP candidate, where he received over 62,000 voters and came runner-up to the BJP candidate while the BSP secured around 6,500 votes at a distant third.