With the highly politicised biennial elections of the Mumbai Cricket Association round the corner, one of the voting club's representative has termed the voters' list as faulty as it contained clubs which no longer exist.
Former MCA office bearer Ravi Mandrekar has cited minutes of the association's Affiliation Sub Committee which show that seven clubs have shut shop or ceased cricket activities and needed to be weeded out of the electoral rolls or else the election process could be challenged in a court of law.
The elections, slated to be held on June 17, have already acquired a heavy political slant with the hegemony of NCP supremo and incumbent President Sharad Pawar being challenged by outgoing VP Vijay Patil for the President's post with the full backing of the Shiv Sena.
Among those contesting from the Pawar-Bal Mahaddalkar ruling panel is BJP MLA Ashish Shelar, who is contesting the two Vice President's post along with Sena MP Pratap Sarnaik, who is fighting the elections as part of Vijay Patil's "Cricket First" group.
Mandrekar said as per the minutes of the meeting of the sub-committee, the offices of two of these, Golden Tobacco and Indo Burman Petroleum, have shut shop, three other clubs - DMC, JK and Reptakos - have written to MCA that they had stopped their cricket activities, Indian Airlines has merged with Air India which is already a member of MCA while chairman had informed the panel that Mafatlal SC has closed down.
"Therefore I appeal to you that the voter list prepared by Association is faulty and names of following 7 clubs should be removed from voters list," Mandrekar has stated in the letter.
"I hope you will take appropriate action before election and declare that names of above seven voters have been removed from voter List. Alternatively, declare that the seven voters' vote will be sealed separately.
"Failure to take one of these steps could see the election being challenged (in a court)," he has remarked and sought a response from the election officer.
