The Hindu : Sport : Brijesh Patel battling anti-incumbency factor

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Sunday, Sep 09, 2007
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Brijesh Patel battling anti-incumbency factor

Principal Correspondent

Bangalore: The elections for the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), scheduled for Sunday, will witness a face-off between the current ruling body led by secretary Brijesh Patel and the rival faction headed by the scion of the Mysore royal family — Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar.

The run-up to the elections has been acrimonious, with Wadiyar alleging a lack of transparency in financial issues on the part of the current association while Patel has in turn reacted saying that the association has done everything in accordance with the rules and that there are no irregularities in the accounts.

“If elected we will provide a transparent administration,” has been the constant refrain from Wadiyar while Patel said that the “development activities initiated by his committee should not be stalled” and that he preferred a set-up run by cricketers. Interestingly, Patel has fielded batting legend Gundappa Viswanath as the presidential candidate against Wadiyar. Viswanath enjoys tremendous respect in cricketing circles while Wadiyar’s royal antecedents and skills as an administrator has garnered an equal share of respect and affection from his admirers.

Patel, meanwhile, is pitted against G. Kasturirangan, former chief curator of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, for the secretary’s post. The Patel camp also suffered last-minute defections as long-standing vice-president V. Jagannath, along with managing committee member Ashok Anand, shifted to the Wadiyar group. Former great Syed Kirmani is also a key figure in the Wadiyar camp and he is contesting for the post of vice-president. The Wadiyar group has also gained the support of industrialist Vijay Mallya, who proclaimed his assistance through a press release.

Patel is also battling the anti-incumbency factor while he tries hard to stay afloat as secretary to an association that was formed nine years ago with the slogan ‘an association run by cricketers,’ as its key ingredient.

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