State bodies open to taking legal route on voting rights

MUMBAI: Amid growing discomfort over the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations, the ‘one-state, one-vote’ proposal has met with the fiercest opposition. State associations likely to lose their voting rights in BCCI elections have come together to put up a united front. Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Association of Indian Universities, Baroda, Vidarbha, Cricket Club of India, Services, Railways and National Cricket Club stand to lose their relevance once the recommendations are redrawn according to geographical boundaries. “We have given so much of our time and effort to make our association what it is today. Three to four decades of commitment has gone into building stadiums and infrastructure and improving the performance of our state team, and now we have to give up our voting rights, making our representation at the BCCI negligible,” said the official of an association.

LIBERTY TO GO TO COURT

The Indian cricket board, it is learnt, has given the liberty to the affected state associations to approach the court directly. “We cannot stop them from approaching the court directly as some of their concerns are exclusive and they are legally well within their right to do so,” said an official. The difficulties around implementing the ‘one-state, one-vote recommendation is linked to the constitution on the basis of which state associations are founded.

NOT UNIFORM

“Our constitution is different from another state and also from the BCCI’s, so there is no uniform constitution as such. If at all changes are to be effected, we have to change our constitution first of all. “Secondly, there is no reason on why we should change our constitution, which in any case offers scope for legally challenging anything that goes against its foundation,” explained a state association president.