Jaiswal, Vaidya set to demit office
   Date :12-Nov-2021

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By Anupam Soni :
 
Two consecutive terms as office-bearers might restrict them in contesting again
 
 
VIDARBHA Cricket Association’s (VCA) most successful Executive Committee ever, in whose regime perennial underdogs Vidarbha shed that unwanted tag and rose to achieve the numero uno team status across various age groups, is in for a major overhaul. Courtesy Justice Lodha Committee recommendations and reforms to make the functioning and governance of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and subsequent amendments by the Supreme Court on the matter, all of the office-bearers of the incumbent Executive Committee will have to demit office. Adv Anand Jaiswal, President; Prashant Vaidya, Vice-President; Parimal Vaidya, Secretary; Murali Pantula, Treasurer and Hemant Gandhi Joint Secretary have completed five years in a row as office-bearers and will have to make way for fresh set of administrators. The VCA Executive Committee has come up with an amendment to the Article 12 of its Constitution following a Supreme Court order (dated 20-09-2019) to that effect.
 
The amendment will be put up during VCA’s Annual General Meeting to be held on December 4 to be followed by elections (if necessary) on the next day. Elaborating on the amendment to Article 12, President Adv Jaiswal told ‘The Hitavada’, “The Article No 12 was amended last time as per SC’s guidelines issued on 18-07-2016. It was done to bring a clause for disqualification to ‘Office Bearers’ who had held office for a cumulative period of nine years as an ‘Office Bearer or Executive Committee Member’. “Now, the Supreme Court by its order dated 20-09-2019 has clarified that the disqualification would apply to those who had held the post of ‘Office Bearers’ and not to ‘Executive Committee Members’. As a result, the period of nine years would apply only to the period occupied as ‘Office Bearers’. The VCA Executive Committee, that has been authorised to amend the constitution as and when required by Special General Body, has again amended the said Article.”
 
“VCA has obtained the opinion of Hon’ble Justice Navin Sinha, former Judge of Supreme Court of India regarding the same. The new amendment, apart from the other unchanged points, include a clause that says an ‘Office Bearer who has held any post for two consecutive terms either in the association or in the BCCI (or a combination of both) shall not be eligible to contest any further election without completing a cooling off period of three years. During the cooling off period, such an Office Bearer shall not be a member of any committee whatsoever of the BCCI or the Association’,” Adv Jaiswal added. The present body came into existence in 2016 for a two-year term. From the next year, it was made a three-year committee.
 
So, they have completed five years as Office Bearers and as such they are not out of reckoning straightway but it would not be prudent on the part of VCA to continue with the same set for just one year and go for another election soon. However, there might be a blessing is disguise in the form of exemption to Executive Committee Members. In the new amendment, there is no clarity on the number of Executive Committee Members a body can have or on the period for which they can hold on to such post. In all probability, the most successful VCA body under whom Vidarbha won their first BCCI tourney will have all new faces come December 5. Under the resent regime Vidarbha Under-16 boys lifted Vijay Merchant Trophy (2016-17 Indore) to break the jinx. There was no looking back as Vidarbha went on to bag Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19 four-day meet, 2017-18), Vinoo Mankad Trophy (U-19 one-day meet, 2018-19) and back to back Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup titles.