CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, April 20: Lack of candidates to take part in the election for the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) which will be held on May 1 has become a cause of concern for the Association. As per the recommendations of the Lodha Committee, many members are not eligible to take part in the election.
As per the recommendations, the members who are above the age of 70, having a government job, holding a post for more than two years, related to other sports association or federation, having a criminal record, or a state representative of BCCI and holding office in JSCA for more than 9 years are not eligible to take part in the election.
Due to such restrictions, it has become quite difficult to find candidates who are eligible for the election. The rule has been made so that there should not be dominance by a single person or a group.
Sunil Singh, the former member of JSCA, has said that the violations of the Lodha Committee have been committed by the Association for a long time.
“The members of JSCA have not fully followed the recommendations of the Lodha Committee hence they are eligible to vote but can’t fight the election. Public servants cannot take part in the election as a candidate. Many former cricketers who were in JSCA have been removed hence that has reduced the number of eligible candidates,” he said.
Currently, the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of JSCA have completed the tenure of two terms and are not eligible to take part in the upcoming election.
Lagatar24.com tried to get a response from the officials of JSCA but they have refused to say anything on this.
Many members of the JSCA do not meet the recommendations of the Lodha Committee yet they are a part of the Association. Many have completed two terms and have been granted the cooling-off period. Some members have completed 9 years in the JSCA and are not eligible.
The memberships of around 500 lifetime members and former cricketers have ended. Hence, due to such conditions it has become quite tricky to find eligible candidates.
The ones who are eligible are not willing to participate in the election due to fear of losing their membership if they don’t win.