RCA trying to prevent Lalit Modi from contesting elections
Lalit Modi's counsel Mehmood Abdi has alleged that RCA was trying to debar from contesting for the post of RCA president.
Lucknow: Lalit Modi's counsel Mehmood Abdi has alleged that early elections of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) was a blatant attempt to debar the former IPL Commissioner from contesting for the post of RCA president. Talking to the PTI, Abdi said former union minister C P Joshi led RCA was misusing official machinery to prevent Modi from fighting elections.
Abdi said that Modi has the protection of Rajasthan High Court which stayed the operation of a BCCI order of lifetime ban on his participation in the RCA affairs as it was governed by Rajasthan Sports Act 2005 under which no disqualification could be invoked on the grounds taken by the BCCI.
"Initially the elections were slated to be held on December 7, but have been hurriedly convened to help the incumbent administrators supported by present Congress regime," said Abdi who was here for Yaum-e-Ashura (10th day of Moharram).
Two parallel elections have been announced for RCA office bearers - one by secretary Sanjay Dixit and the other by officiating secretary K K Sharma on November 23 and November 24 respectively.
"We have approached the Supreme Court for appointment of an independent election observer who can convene a fresh election schedule in place of two parallel elections. The matter is likely to be listed early next week.
"Both factions have appointed different election officers of their choice who arbitrarily fiddling with the genuine voter list to disqualify the voters seen as Lalit Modi supporters," Abdi said.Electoral college of the RCA consists of 33 district associations each having one vote. "To decide the contentious claims of voting rights etc. for the last two elections of RCA, retired supreme court judge N M Kasliwal was appointed by the SC to oversee the electoral processes and ensure free fair elections," he said.
He said that deciding the objections to the rightful voters forms the main role of the election observer.
"However, adopting a sudden departure from the established practice Joshi faction appointed an election officer who himself is entertaining the objections and deciding the same," he alleged.
"Only way to ameliorate the situation and put an end to this two parallel elections is to firstly cancel these two elections and a retired supreme court judge be appointed as observer or convener of the elections by the SC, who will determine and announce a fresh election schedule strictly act as per the Rajasthan Sports Act 2005 which is the governing law of all sports bodies in Rajasthan."