With the Supreme Court order of August 9, 2018 restoring the voting rights of the three associations in Gujarat — Gujarat, Saurashtra and Baroda — elections for a new three-year term are set to take place in Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Baroda under a common electoral officer in Varesh Sinha, a former Chief Secretary of the State and also its election commissioner.
The principal judgment of the Supreme Court of July 18, 2016 had actually accepted the recommendation of the Justice Lodha Panel of a "one-State one-vote" norm with the three associations in each State getting the right to vote only by an annual rotation.
The order of August 9 last year turned out to be good for the three associations each in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and the Railways, Services and All India Universities. They all got their voting rights at the BCCI AGM and elections.
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Saurashtra, with 488 individual voters, will choose five office bearers and 11 members to the Apex Council on September 26; Baroda, with over 2500 individual members, will chose five office bearers and five members on September 27; and Gujarat, which has a general body strength of 26 (11 from Ahmedabad, four four each from Kheda, Surat and Valsad, two from Gandhinagar and one from the the honorary member category), will elect five office bearers and one more member to its Apex Council.
All three associations will induct a former male and female international cricketer and a representative of the AG’s Office into the Apex Council. In the State of Maharashtra, Vidarbha has already conducted its elections. The Mumbai Cricket Association has been advised by a former State election commissioner that holding elections would be contempt of a particular order of the Supreme Court and the Maharashtra Cricket Association is still in the process of getting its Constitution certified by the Registrar of Societies.
'End to dynastic rule'
The CoA had extended the timeline for the States to conduct its elections to September 28 (from September 14) and hence many States have appointed an electoral officer to conduct elections by September 28 so that their representative can take part in the elections as a voter and candidate. On Monday, the CoA issued a circular to the BCCI members stating that the restrictions (Cooling off period) will be applied retrospectively.
The former BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, who is involved with the Baroda Cricket Association, said: "The CoA advisory has clarified issues related to restrictions on contesting elections. It has brought an end to dynastic rule at the BCA."
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