RAJAT SHARMA ELECTED DDCA PRESIDENT

NEW DELHI:

Senior TV journalist Rajat Sharma and his team swept the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) elections, winning all 12 seats on offer. The DDCA elections, last held in 2013, were conducted under the supervision of a High Court-appointed administrator. Sharma’s opponents, one backed by BCCI’s ‘acting’ president CK Khanna and the other belonging to former Additional Solicitor General Vikas Singh, were routed. Sharma polled 1,521 votes out of 2,791 to beat 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal (1,004) and Singh (232) for the president’s position. Rakesh Bansal, brother of former DDCA president Sneh Bansal, bagged 1,364 votes to beat Shashi Khanna (1,086), wife of CK

Khanna, for the vice-president’s post. The secretary’s post went to former Sports Working Committee (SWC) convenor Vinod Tihara, who got 1,374 votes. His closest rival was Manjit Singh (998 votes). Sharma’s camp said it will entrust former Test batsman and Ranji Trophy captain Gautam Gambhir to look into DDCA’s cricket affairs. Gambhir is already a government nominee. On asked how the DDCA will implement the RM Lodha proposals mandated by the Supreme Court, Sharma said: “There are certain good things in the Lodha recommendations, but there are other key issues which have been debated. We’ll discuss them,” said Sharma. Several state associations are against the Lodha reforms that have stringent clauses pertaining to age, tenure.