Complaint against RCA alleges violation of Lodha recommendations in polls

Jaipur: The Rajasthan Cricket Association violated the Supreme Court-mandated Lodha reforms during its elections, the faction which lost the polls has alleged in a complaint to the Committee of Administrators (CoA), demanding suspension of RCA’s voting rights in the upcoming BCCI elections.

Vaibhav Gehlot, the son of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, became the RCA president in elections held on 4 October in which his faction won all the six posts on offer.

The other faction, which was also led by a senior Congress leader in Rameshwar Dudi, had alleged that the election officer RR Rashmi was wrong in upholding the suspension of Nagaur, Sri Ganganagar, and Alwar district associations.

The three associations were allegedly connected to former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and as a result, nominations of Dudi himself and a few others were cancelled. Ram Prakash Choudhary, who lost to Vaibhav Gehlot for the post of president, has now lodged a complaint with the CoA, alleging violation of Lodha recommendations by the RCA.

“Fresh elections should be conducted by an independent electoral officer to be appointed by BCCI and under the supervision of the ombudsman of RCA Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra (former judge of the Supreme Court),” he has demanded.

He has requested that none from the current RCA be allowed to vote in the elections of BCCI to be held on 23 October. He has also demanded that the election of the apex council of RCA be declared void as it was “in violation of the Rajasthan Sports Act, 2005, Bye-laws of RCA and the General Rules and Regulations of Elections”.

The Supreme Court has appointed Amicus Curiae to look into all legal matters related to the BCCI elections. Tamil Nadu and Haryana have already been suspended from the BCCI polls by the CoA, citing non-compliance with Lodha reforms in their amended constitutions.