Elections for top KSCA posts held in Bangalore

BANGALORE - Elections for six top posts of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), in which former Indian Test skipper Anil Kumble and former speedster Javagal Srinath are in fray for the post of president and secretary, were held Sunday at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium amidst hectic lobbying and after month-long campaigning.

“Voting began around 1 p.m, and ended at 7 p.m. Counting will begin at 8 p.m. and the results will be declared by 10 p.m.,” KSCA chief executive M.P.Ganesh told IANS here.

Ace leggie Kumble is pitted against incumbent president and erstwhile Mysore royal family scion Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and Srinath against international umpire A.V. Jayaprakash.

Former Indian medium-fast bowler B.K. Venkatesh Prasad is also in fray for one of the three vice presidents post.

Election was also held for the post of treasurer and a 24-member managing committee of the association.

A total of 1,489 voters, including 1,260 life members and 229 clubs from across the state were eligible to cast their ballots.

Former Indian test batsman Brijesh Patel has opted out of the race after a 12-year stint as the association’s secretary.

Wadiyar is contesting for a second term after becoming president in 2007 by defeating legendary batsman G.R. Viswanath.

The campaign pitch was on whether Kumble and Srinath have administrative experience and time to devote for developing cricket in the state given their other commitments.

Kumble is currently skipper of liquor baron Vijay Mallya-owned Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore. Srinath is a referee for international matches. Both have stated that if they did not have the time, they would not have been contesting.

Wadiyar is banking on his performance during the last three years during which he claims the state team’s performance in domestic circuit like in Ranji Trophy had improved significantly.

Patel is, however, backing Kumble-Srinath team that includes Prasad.