“I was dwarfed by the politics in HCA, honestly,” was the comment of Mr. G. Vivekanand, MP, only on Saturday when asked whether he was surprised to see more politics in Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) than in politics.
And by Sunday, this grim reality dawned on him – that players are more adept in executing their game-plan in a sports body elections than politicians. Both Mr. Vivekanand and MLC, Kasani Gyaneshwar lost while contesting for the post of vice-president in HCA elections on Sunday.
The message that came out of HCA elections was loud and clear. Majority of 226 Club Secretaries preferred cricketers-turned-administrators to politicians.
The verdict stunned seasoned politicians like G. Vinod, incumbent president of HCA and one who joined the rival group. “It was a shocker," he said. So much so that P. R. Man Singh, who lost the elections for the Secretary's post to D. S. Chalapathi, left the venue without even waiting for the final margin to be declared.
The beaming face of N. Shivlal Yadav, who spearheaded the ruling group's campaign, said it all. It was an emphatic victory for his skills in winning an election which many thought would be much closer than it eventually did.
The only setback for him was when his confidante P. Yadgiri lost the treasurer's post.
Despite charges of corruption and favouritism from opponents, Mr. Shivlal managed to bag maximum votes (182) when compared to others.
The positives are clearly the wins of Seshadri Venkateswaran (joint secretary) of Indian Airlines and Naresh Sharma (treasurer) known for their impeccable record. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, was the Returning Officer for the polls.
