New Delhi: "Polluted politics" forced this month's elections to six posts of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to be countermanded, with the returning officer alleging that "irresponsible and illegal actions by secretary" were the reason for taking the drastic action.
Elections were slated to be held for the posts of the president -- a position for which late Arun Jaitley's son Rohan was set to be elected unanimously after the only other candidate who had filed his nominations papers withdrew -- the treasurer, and four directors between October 17 and 20. The results were to be declared on October 21.
In dramatic developments on Saturday, Returning Officer Navin B. Chawla stopped the election process at 1.45 pm, after seeking advice from Ombudsman Deepak Verma, and then issued a short notice declaring the countermanding of the elections.
"As per the direction of the electoral officer, the election process started in pursuance of notice of 30-9-2020, has been countermanded today (10-10-2020) at 2.15 pm," read the notice, signed by assistant electoral office SK Mendiratta, put up on a notice board of the Feroze Shah ground, housing the DDCA headquarters.
"Dear All, I have been constrained to countermand this election, having received advice from the Ombudsman Justice Deepak Verma, at 1.30 pm today [October 10], in view of the wholly irresponsible and illegal actions of the secretary of the DDCA. All concerned may be informed. Detailed reasons will follow," Chawla, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, said in an email.
Till late in the evening no explanation had come. But an email purportedly written by Chawla to DDCA Ombudsman Justice (retired) Deepak Verma earlier in the day emerged on social media in the evening.
"Dear Justice Verma, I have just now received your email at about 1pm today suggesting that in view of the reasons stated therein, the elections now under way cannot proceed and may be countermanded. Having perused the letter of Mr Sanjay Bhardwaj, Director, DDCA, sent earlier this morning today addressed to both you and to me, and in view of your letter just received, and the grounds given by you and by Mr Bhardwaj, the AROs [assistant returning officers] and I are in agreement with your views that we are left with little choice but to countermand this election," Chawla is supposed to have written to Justice Verma at 2:11:35 pm.
"Accordingly, I have stopped the further process of election with immediate effect at about 1.45 pm. The documents in our possession related to the elections are being handed over to Mr Sanjay Bhardwaj, Director, who is one of the persons authorised by Hon'ble Delhi High Court to assist me. A more detailed letter will follow. With warm regards, Yours sincerely, Navin B Chawla," read the message, which was copied to AROs Surinder Kumar Mendiratta and Wilfred Francis.
Justice Verma said his advice against holding the elections was based on the existing "polluted politics" within the DDCA.
"Arre sahib, internal politics mein itna pollution ho gaya hai ki election kaise hoga (how can elections take place when there is so much polluted politics)?" Justice Verma said.
Calls and email/messages sent to Tihara did not elicit a response.
Chawla apparently was annoyed with Tihara for issuing a "corrigendum to the agenda" for the extraordinary general meeting of the DDCA, scheduled for October 17. Tihara deleted one agenda item from the revised agenda, a move that Chawla called "irresponsible and illegal actions by secretary" -- and hence the decision to countermand the elections.
Rohan Jaitley, who has received support from all the factions in the DDCA, didn't seem too perturbed at the countermanding of the elections, or if he was he did not show it.
"Let us see. It is an electoral process and in the electoral commissioner's domain. But if the candidates decide to take any step that is their legal right. Let us wait and see. Why should I do anything? When elections will be held, I will contest. I have been very clear about it, that the elections being countermanded is in the electoral commissioner's domain, and which people can question at an appropriate forum. Elections are not the bread and butter for most of the people involved in elections," Rohan Jaitley said.
A total of 28 persons were left in the fray for the six posts after their nomination papers were found in order, Chawla had announced on Thursday.
A list containing 4,270 members, including many dead members, was published for the elections.
