The acceptance of Lodha Committee recommendations by the Supreme Court has severely hit J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) with the July 19 elections in which Sports Minister Imran Raza Ansari was re-elected as Association President declared null and void.
JKCA in a hurriedly conveyed working committee meeting at Jammu on Tuesday had re-elected Sports Minister Imran Ansari as its President in total disregard to the Supreme Court accepting Lodha Panel recommendations on reforms in the BCCI which bar politicians, bureaucrats, ministers from becoming office bearers.
Lodha Committee has sent letter to all Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office-bearers – including President Anurag Thakur, Secretary Ajay Shirke, treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary and joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary – on Wednesday.
The letter clearly states that all elections in the BCCI and state associations should be ‘kept on hold’.
The letter reads, “The Committee is in the process of preparing an action-plan along with timelines, as directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, to implement the reforms and supervise the transition as swiftly as possible. Until further intimations in this regard, it is directed that the BCCI and the state associations keep on hold all elections and electoral processes under the Rules existing as on 18.7.2016”.
“The same may be conveyed to all the various members and state associations by the BCCI. Needless to say, any steps taken after the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgment which are inconsistent with its directions will be treated as null and void,” it added added.
It clearly meant the elections of JKCA held on Tuesday, in which Imran Ansari was elected President, stand null and void.
Confirming the development Chairman JKCA, Mehboob Iqbal said, “As per the Supreme Court ruling and now BCCI direction to all State units our recently held election is null and void. The election would now be held under Lodha Committee and in that no institute, college; University or Government department would be entitled to vote”.
In the current JKCA body, there are around 14 votes that belong to various institutes or Government department and Lodha Committee recommendations gives them no voting right.
“It was wrong to conduct election after Court accepted the recommendations. I tried to put my suggestions but majority did not go with that. The Committee recommendation will mean total overhaul of JKCA with 14 Government votes losing their power of votes. They can be associate members but without any voting right. Similarly Imran Ansari or any other elected politician can’t run for the office,” Mehboob said.
Buoyed by the decision and election being declared null and void, opposite faction that sides with Dr Farooq Abdullah termed it as humiliation for the Imran Ansari group.
“The election in first place was held illegally violating both Supreme Court ruling and the local Jammu court stay order. However, they went ahead with the fake election and now are facing suo moto action by the Lodha Committee that has declared elections null and void,” said Former JKCA Joint Secretary Imtiyaz Ahmad.
“With the Lodha Committee recommendation accepted by the Supreme Court, there will be no Government involvement in JKCA election now. Ansari came into power through Government backing with clear misuse of power. It is total humiliation for the Ansari backed faction and they will not be able to misuse the power in the upcoming election likely to be held under Lodha Committee supervision,” he said.
Ansari, who ended National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah’s three-decade tenure at the helm of the state cricket association last year, was elected as the president of the JKCA at the elections held.