KSCA decides to postpone elections

The KSCA also announced that it would request the retired Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde to head a legal team to advise it in amending the association by-laws to ensure the effective implementation of all the recommendations of the Lodha Committee.

The KSCA has sought retired judge Santosh Hegde's help to implement Lodha Committee recommendations.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association on Friday announced that it was postponing the forthcoming elections in the wake of a directive from the Lodha Committee to that effect.

The elections and the AGM, originally scheduled to be conducted on August 7, will now be held at a later date. The decision was taken at an emergent Managing Committee meeting here.

The KSCA also announced that it would request the retired Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde to head a legal team to advise it in amending the association by-laws to ensure the effective implementation of all the recommendations of the Lodha Committee.

The KSCA's initial confidence about going ahead with the polls seemed at odds with the Supreme Court Committee's directive to stop all electoral activity, but things have now changed. "Our idea was to implement the Lodha Committee recommendations in the conduct of the elections itself. That's why I was confident they might not stop the process," said KSCA spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya.

"But still he (the Secretary of the Committee) has very clearly now directed the BCCI and all state associations. Their intention might be that they want to ensure implementation before going ahead and we respect it."

The Lodha Committee had on Thursday clarified that the three-term limit for office bearers also took into account time prior to the date of the verdict (and did not mean three terms after the verdict). This appears to have ruled out the chances of Brijesh Patel, who is approaching the end of his fifth term as Secretary, of seeking re-election. "Let them come out with (further clarification)...if there will be a president, three vice-presidents, or one vice-president or will there be an apex council, there is no clarity on that. Will they replicate with us the same thing they are doing with the BCCI? That clarity is required," said Patel.

The age and tenure rules will affect other office bearers of the KSCA too. The KSCA, though, did not wish to discuss fresh candidates. "The question of candidature does not arise," said Mruthyunjaya. "First we need to implement the Lodha Committee recommendations and then conduct the AGM. Right now, we have been asked not to go ahead with the election and that's why we have postponed it. We have to wait for further directions."