DDCA spent a whopping Rs 27 lakh on 'mini elections'

NEW DELHI: On its recent 'mini elections', the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) splurged a humongous amount -- well over Rs. 27 lakh, with Rs.15 lakh being paid to electoral officer Navin B. Chawla alone. The recent expenditure is 13 times more than the amount the DDCA spent on the much larger elections in 2018 -- only around Rs.2 lakh.

In the full-fledged elections in 2018, when all 12 posts of the apex council were contested, DDCA had paid Rakesh Mehta, a 1975-batch IAS officer of UT cadre and a former Chief Secretary of Delhi, Rs. 2 lakh, said a source involved closely with the elections at the time. And, now, when elections for only six posts were held, the DDCA spent a total of Rs.27.68 lakh, confirmed a couple of council members.

"Of Rs.27.68 lakh, Chawla, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, was paid Rs.15 lakh, his two assistants Rs.3 lakh each, advocate Gautam Dutta, who also assisted in the elections, was paid Rs.5 lakh, while Rs.1.68 was spent on tenting, including erecting of six booths for polling," a DDCA apex council member told IANS.

Interestingly, before the elections the DDCA apex council had, in September, disengaged Dutta, standing counsel and legal retainer, along with another counsel, Ankur Chawla, "with immediate effect" to check the expenditure. IANS

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