BCCI polls: ‘Salam can’t represent JKCA, awaiting Electoral Officer’s reply’

By Baidurjo Bhose

New Delhi, Oct 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Electoral Officer N. Gopalaswami on Thursday barred five state associations, Railways, Services and Indian University from the upcoming board election in Mumbai on October 23, it has come to the fore that Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Associations (JKCA) representative for the elections Abid Salam isnt even a JKCA member.

While the Electoral Officer had mentioned that the final list of approved full members are those who have been determined to be compliant with the Supreme Court judgment dated August 9, 2018 read with the SC order dated September 20, Salam's case has allegedly been ignored even as former JKCA General Secretary Iqbal Shah wrote to the officer citing the open flouting of rules by the JKCA's Committee of Administrators (CoA).

In the mails, accessed by IANS, Shah has pointed to the BCCI Electoral Officer how Salam's nomination is nothing but a 'sham'.

"We have learnt that setting aside all norms and directions from time to time from CoA of BCCI, the CoA of JKCA has nominated one Abid Salam as a representative of JKCA for participation in BCCI elections. The JKCA CoA was supposed to immediately amend the membership structure and induct the excluded cricketing clubs as members of JKCA with voting rights in order to be eligible to participate in board elections.

"The JKCA CoA didn't approach the Registrar of Societies for amendment and instead chose to nominate Salam who doesn't belong to any affiliated unit of the association. It becomes essential for us to bring it to your notice that JKCA CoA initiated a process of sham elections in districts of state for which they had no mandate.

"The association has never constituted any district association. The nomination of Salam is a ploy to tactfully create an opening for so-called district associations which don't exist at all in the entire history of JKCA till date," the letter written on October 7 stated.

In the other letter, written on October 9, Shah has mentioned how the JKCA CoA doesn't have the right to appoint Salam as the representative of the association.

"In continuation to the earlier E-mail dated 07-Oct-2019, I would like to bring into your kind notice that the COA's/CEO of JKCA have no power to nominate/appoint any representative of JKCA to BCCI upcoming elections because according to the faulty constitution of JKCA the power to nominate/appoint any representative to BCCI meetings is to be appointed by General Body/Apex council of JKCA only (sic)," the letter reads.

In fact, the representation of JKCA at the board elections isn't the only issue as per Shah. The former official said that the JKCA CoA hasn't paid any heed to even the BCCI's Committee of Administrators.

"The CoA in our association has cited communication breakdown in recent times as the reason behind their inability to act on the orders of the BCCI CoA, but that is not true.

"Jammu is perfectly fine and things have also improved in Kashmir now and this is just the committee's attempt to keep matters unsettled in the JKCA so that they can continue to call the shots. They have refused to re-induct the old members despite the BCCI CoA asking them to do so," he said.

In the mail sent by the BCCI CoA to JKCA, accessed by IANS, the association was asked to induct the excluded cricket clubs as members of JKCA with voting rights and other associated rights.

"This is in reference to your email dated 9th September 2019, enclosing a copy of representation on behalf of the clubs that have been excluded from membership of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association.

"Your attention is invited to the email dated 10th September 2019 (attached herein), vide which the Committee has directed the JKCA to immediately amend their membership structure and induct the excluded cricket clubs as members of JKCA with voting rights and other associated rights, in order to be eligible to participate in the elections of BCCI.

"The Committee of Administrators hope that the attached email addresses the concerned raised in the said representation," the mail read.

Interestingly, while eight full members of the BCCI have been barred from elections citing non compliance of the Supreme Court order, Shah says JKCA is still awaiting "justice".

"While I am still awaiting a reply to my letters to the Electoral Officer, I believe justice will be done," he said.

Source: IANS