DDCA elections: Star turnout on last day of polling

The first ever “open” elections in the scam-tainted Delhi and District Cricket Association ended with the fourth and last day witnessing heaviest voter turnout. Approximately, 2,800 votes of the 3,800 valid votes were polled. The last day of polling witnessed many present and past cricketers, and former Olympians from Delhi turned up to cast their votes. Officials from other state associations and other sports federations—members of the DDCA, too, turned up to vote. The polling today was preceded by the Annual General Meeting which saw a section of former DDCA office-bearers creating ruckus. However, accounts of last five years were passed amid the din by the general body. The votes will be counted and results declared on July 2. Results will be announced on the DDCA website post noon.

Former Delhi and international cricketers Bishan Singh Bedi, Kirti Azad, Manoj Prabhakar, Virender Sehwag, Yashpal Sharma, Bantoo Singh, Robin Singh Junior, Vivek Razdan, Sanjeev Sharma, Nikhil Chopra, Raj Kumar Sharma, Gursharan Singh, Jaya Sharma came to cast their vote, as did current Delhi Ranji skipper and India pace bowler Ishant Sharma. Other former cricketers from Delhi—Aakash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Sanghvi—had cast their vote a day earlier.

"You see the difference abolition of proxy voting has made," said an immensely pleased Bedi who has been at the forefront of fighting corruption and maladministration in the DDCA. "This is hopefully a new beginning in Delhi cricket," said the former Indian captain after casting his vote.

BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and chairman of IPL governing council Rajeev Shukla, too, came to cast their votes. Former Indian hockey captain Ajit Pal Singh, too, turned up to cast his vote as did local officials from the IOA. Delhi football officials also came to vote.

R.P. Yadav, one of the oldest members of the DDCA, too, gave a thumbs-up to "open voting". Said Yadav, "For the first time such open voting is happening in my time as member of the DDCA. I have never seen such elections before."

After an intense month-long campaign and four days of voting there appears to be no clear frontrunner in these election which is witnessing a triangular fight for all posts. The fight is on between former India all rounder Madan Lal-led group, Supreme Court Bar Association president Vikas Singh's DDCA Members' Forum and media personality Rajat Sharma-led group.

DDCA is the first state association to go to polls as per the Justice R.M. Lodha reforms as well as to adopt and implement the RTI clause. The elections were held under the watch of Delhi High Court appointed and former Supreme Court judge Vikramjit Sen.

The venue for the first three days of polling was the New Delhi Municipal Council's premises while the last day polling was held at the DDCA headquarters in Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. The Annual General meeting (AGM) took place in the morning before the start of polling and it witnessed raucous scenes, with former DDCA treasurer and present Indian Olympic Association president and International Hockey Federation president Narinder Dhruv Batra creating a scene while asking questions regarding statement of accounts. Justice Sen was unruffled by all the accusations thrown at him by these vocal members and noted that the Special General Body Meeting he had convened as a precursor to these elections was far more rougher than this.