DDCA polls: Kotla turns into political battleground

Elections for the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to be held subsequent week are turning out to be a microcosm of the politics of the day with the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) throwing their weight behind main candidates.
Last week, leaders of the BJP’s Delhi unit have been requested to assist the group helmed by Rohan Jaitley, son of the late Arun Jaitley. Jaitley senior was one of the outstanding BJP leaders, a union minister and a former president of the DDCA.
Rohan, who has adopted in his father’s footsteps into cricket administration and is the present state affiliation president, has thrown his hat within the ring once more.
Rohan Jaitley, son of late union minister Arun Jaitley, is contesting for the president’s put up once more. (FILE)
The president’s election is a battle between two legal professionals, Rohan and former extra solicitor basic Vikas Singh, who claims to have the backing of AAP leaders.
Siddharth Sahib Singh, the brother of BJP MP Parvesh Verma (West Delhi), is spearheading a 3rd group. His father, the late Sahib Singh Verma, was a senior vice-president of the BJP and a Delhi chief minister. Siddharth is contesting for the secretary’s put up which sees a three-way battle.
Contesting for the treasurer’s put up is one other advocate Pawan Gulati, who’s a maternal uncle of BJP MP from East Delhi Gautam Gambhir, a former India Test opener. Rohan stated that he didn’t wish to touch upon the BJP state unit drumming up assist for his group.

“This is an apolitical organisation, there are people with various political thoughts who work together for the betterment of the game. Whether someone is supporting someone, I don’t want to comment on that. It is all hearsay,” Rohan stated on Saturday.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta had advised this paper final week that the social gathering is “seeking support for Rohan Jaitley’s panel”.
Vikas Singh, a senior Supreme Court lawyer, has made private calls to members of the DDCA to speak about his ‘anti-corruption campaign’.
Senior supreme court docket lawyer Vikas Singh is within the fray for the president’s put up.
He has additionally been in contact with AAP leaders within the run-up to the state cricket unit elections.
Vikas Singh calls the BJP state unit’s name to lend assist to Rohan’s group a “desperate attempt” which is popping the DDCA election right into a political battle. “The Aam Aadmi Party is helping me. Raghav Chadha (MLA), Manish Sisodia (deputy chief minister) and Satyendra Jain (power minister), all three have advised MLAs to go door to door and tell voters they need to weed out corruption. That said, I am not an AAP candidate. Their campaign is an anti-corruption campaign,” Vikas Singh says. “Look at the people they (Rohan Jaitley group) are fielding. It includes Vinod Tihara (secretary’s post) who has just come out of jail,” Vikas Singh, who says he has assist from associates throughout social gathering strains, provides.
AAP has not formally supported any candidate. Tihara was arrested final yr for alleged violation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) norms and lodged in Meerut jail earlier than getting bail. Rohan stated that makes an attempt have been being made to run a smear marketing campaign in opposition to his group. “Whether he has committed a fraud, let the courts decide. He has the opportunity for a fair trial. Let the law take its own course. If he is guilty, he will get convicted,” Rohan stated.
Both teams have highlighted their imaginative and prescient with deal with members and cricketers of their respective manifestos. Building an indoor cricket facility, restructuring cricket actions and increasing the cricket window are a number of the plans Rohan has put ahead to members.
Vikas Singh talks about placing the DDCA’s home so as and enhancing services for members, cricket academies in every district of the capital and beginning the Delhi Premier League.
He says it’s not the primary time he has been up in opposition to the BJP. “In the Supreme Court elections also, the BJP issued a whip against me but I got the highest-ever margin,” Singh, who was elected president of the chief committee of the SC Bar Association in February, stated. Former India participant Kirti Azad, a Congress politician now, stated he was supporting Vikas Singh as a result of the necessity of the hour was to wash up the system within the DDCA. “The other candidates are like old wine in new bottle. Cricket needs to be the priority of those who run DDCA. Vikas Singh has promised change for the betterment of the sport and for members of the DDCA,” the 1983 World Cup winner stated.
The elections might be held over three days, October 25 to 27, and the outcomes might be declared on October 28.