DDCA election sees intense competition between Rohan Jaitley and Kirti Azad, with high stakes.
New Delhi: The winners of one of the most intriguing games for throne and power that Delhi witnesses every three years will be revealed on December 16.
The election for the 12 various positions at the lucrative Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) which had a budget of Rs 140 crore last year will be held over three days— December 13 to 15—with the results being declared on December 16. Around 3,750 members are eligible to vote in this election, where everything that appeals to the senses of the voters is liberally used.
In the race is the current president, Rohan Jaitley, who won the last election by defeating Supreme court lawyer Vikas Singh. Jaitley was earlier elected unopposed in October 2020 as the president, after Sunil Kumar Goel, the only other candidate who had filed his nomination against him, withdrew his candidature. As per the rules governing DDCA elections, if a member retires, resigns, or vacates a position midway due to reasons such as age or other personal factors, a byelection is generally held to fill the vacancy.
In November 2019, TV journalist Rajat Sharma resigned from the post of president, citing his inability to continue amidst “various pulls and pressures” within the organisation. Sharma had won the election in July 2018, after beating former cricketer Madan Lal. Sharma had secured 1,521 votes, while Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, secured 1,004, with the remaining 266 votes going to others in the fray.
Clearly, achievements in cricket field are outweighed by those outside, in these polls, where the mighty and influential get a reality check from their competitors every three years.
This time, Jaitley is against Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Kirti Azad, who remained at loggerheads with Rohan’s father, Arun Jaitley, for almost his entire tenure as DDCA president (1999–2013).
Apart from Rohan, his mother Sangeeta and his sister Sonali will also vote in the election.
The present secretary of the organisation, Siddharth Singh, the younger brother of BJP leader Parvesh Singh Verma, is not contesting the election this time, with some members attributing the same to his possible debut in the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
In a way, this election is also being seen as a political fight between the BJP and non-BJP members.
DDCA elected members, besides becoming eligible for similar roles in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), hold the influential capacity to arrange tickets and access to cricket matches and related events, including IPL matches. This position allows them to extend favours to prominent figures in the national capital, fostering opportunities to seek reciprocal advantages.
Members who will vote in this election told The Sunday Guardian about how candidates in the fray are organising get-togethers of voter members over lunch and whiskey—both of premium quality—at luxury resorts and hotels.
One such event was organised on the evening of December 11 at Chelmsford Club by the Azad group; another by the Jaitley group was given at Hallmark Banquet on December 8, and a dinner and cocktail at The Grand Dreams by the same group on December 7.
This election, like similar elections in the past, is witnessing a cocktail of former police chiefs, retired intelligence heads, and lawyers coming together and trying to secure votes for either of the two groups. Former Chief Election Commissioner of the country, Achal Kumar Joti, is handling the election process.
While Kirti Azad is being seen as the underdog, a long-time member of the association said Azad was going to win this time as there is resentment against Jaitley for not ‘doing enough’ for the players, spectators, and the members.
The member said that this time, lawyer Vikas Singh, who had unsuccessfully contested the polls earlier, is putting massive effort to ensure the victory of Azad. Singh had a personal reason to push for Azad to ‘reform’ the association, as one member said that Singh’s son was not elected into the Delhi cricket team despite being talented and performing continuously because of the ‘corruption’ in the system.
However, Jaitley supporters, quoting the ‘extensive works’ that he has done in the body, said that like last time too, Jaitley was going to sweep the election.