Rajat Sharma outpolls Madan Lal, is new DDCA president

New Delhi: TV personality and Padma Bhushan Rajat Sharma swept the board at the court-monitored elections to the Delhi and District Cericket Association, defeating former India all-rounder Madan Lal by 517 votes. Sharma will be president of the DDCA for the next three years.

After a high-pitched campaign, Sharma’s panel swept the board as the results were announced on the day, all 12 members of the group winning with some comfort.

Sharma picked up 1,531 of the total 2,791 votes cast while 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal polled 1,004 votes. The third candidate in the fray, Supreme Court senior advocate Vikas Singh came away with just 232 votes.

The election acquired political overtones with former DDCA president and BJP heavyweight Arun Jaitley tacitly endorsing Sharma’s candidacy. In fact, for much of the four polling days that the election entailed, Jaitley confidant and Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra was by Sharma’s side.

“It does not really matter who won, Vikas (Singh) in a sense set the agenda for this election with his promise of better facilities and transparent functioning, which the other groups followed,” a senior DDCA member told this paper.

“As long as cricket in Delhi benefits, that’s all that really matters.”

The poll process was a path-breaking one with the proxy voting system done away with for the first time in decades. The DDCA also became the first unit of the BCCI to hold its elections after major structural reforms mooted by the Supreme Court appointed Lodha Committee.

Other winners included former sports committee head Vinod Tihara, (1374 votes) as secretary, Rajan Manchanda (1402, jt secy), O.P. Sharma (1241, treasurer), Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket director) and Renu Khanna (woman director).

Gambhir on board
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir will join the DDCA cricket advisory committee as “government nominee” newly elected secretary Vinod Tihara was quoted as saying.

Gambhir was made government nominee last year but court administrator Justice Sen had held he could only hold a post after he had finished his active career. Things now promise to be different with Tihara averring Gambhir would be involved in all cricket-related decisions.

Sen remit ends

The Delhi High Court on the day discharged former Supreme Court judge Vikramajit Sen as the administrator of the DDCA following the election results being announced, wire reports added.

An application on the issue was moved by Justice Sen before a bench of Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and A.K. Chawla.

The court, while allowing the plea of the DDCA administrator to be discharged of his duties, also ratified the contracts entered into, the expenses paid, selections and appointments made and any other steps taken by him during his tenure.

Justice Sen was appointed to the post on January 30 last year.