NEW DELHI: Five of the six positions in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), for which re-scheduled elections are likely to take place next month, could have direct contest between two groups after the talks of finding consensus candidates failed. Only Rohan Jaitley is set to be elected unopposed as president.
On Wednesday, the new dates for the elections, which were "countermanded" this month because the process had been "polluted beyond redemption", were reportedly finalised — from November 5-8 — and these would be presented during a hearing in the Supreme Court on Thursday.
While all groups have agreed to the name of Rohan Jaitley, son of late DDCA president Arun Jaitley, they have failed to reach an agreement so far on the other five seats — treasurer's and four directors' posts.
On Wednesday, one faction — which is actually a motley group drawn from at least five different sub-groups — named its candidates who would contest the five posts.
"We have chosen these six persons from our group. Pawan Gulati, a maternal uncle of former India and Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir, will contest the treasurer's post while Ashok Sharma, Karnail Singh, Pradeep Aggarwal, and Dinesh Kumar Sharma will contest the directors' posts. This is our final list," a senior member of the group told IANS.
He, however, admitted that the talks with the CK Khanna group failed.
"We had several meetings with the Khanna group, but no agreement could be reached to field consensus candidates that would have avoided contests for these positions. Khanna has been saying that he has worked hard for these elections and wouldn't concede an inch, barring Rohan Jaitley's name," said the senior member.
Khanna himself is ineligible, but he is fielding his wife, Shashi, for the treasurer's post. "I am definitely contesting for the treasurer's post. I have filed two sets of papers only to be on the safer side. Some other individuals have also filled their papers for this post, but most of them are individuals and don't belong to any groups," Shashi Khanna had told IANS on October 7 after filing her nomination papers.
The Returning Officer Navin Chawla, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, had found nomination papers of eight candidates valid for the treasurer's post.
The other candidates from the Khanna group could be Manjit Singh, Harsh Singla, Harsh Gupta, and Sudhir Kumar Aggarwal, though they could change as they have not officially announced these names.
Chawla had found the nomination papers of 18 candidates valid and announced the same on October 8.
The lone candidate opposing Jaitley, advocate Sunil Kumar Goel, has already withdrawn his candidature.
These elections were necessitated after president Rajat Sharma resigned in November last year while treasurer OP Sharma, a sitting member of Delhi Assembly, had to quit after the Supreme Court-approved Lodha Committee reforms were implemented in cricket administration in India and debarred ministers and public servants from administrators. (IANS)
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