NEW DELHI: The BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) had stunned all state cricket associations with their decision to incorporate former Indian players in their electoral list, according to a PTI report.
The COA had communicated this via mail, making it “mandatory for all state associations (including those which have only representatives of district associations or clubs as voting members in the general body) to grant membership with voting rights to former international players (men and women) hailing from the state”.
“This is a direct attack on our fundamental constitutional right to form an association as per the Constitution. Also the fact that earlier, a state unit that did not have any individual voter members, were told that former cricketers can be just made members,” an office-bearer of a state unit told PTI.
“Now we have to incorporate them in voter’s list. So why then can’t we also have normal members. This is an infringement on our rights as to how we form an association.”
The two state associations that would be impacted the most with this decision are the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), where there is no individual voting as it is the clubs and the districts that have voting rights in the CAB. While MCA only has clubs that have voting rights.
The CoA had also mentioned in the mail that is should be provided with the entire list of ex-international players who are eligible voters. “A list of all such former international players (men and women) who have been granted membership with voting rights shall be provided to the Committee of Administrators and put up on the website of the state association prior to finalization of the electoral roll of the state association by the electoral officer so that any former international players (men and women) who may have been missed out have an opportunity to have their name included therein.”
